Love Hina: Consequences
by Snafu the Great
Summary: Keitaro is betrayed by his family thanks to the lies of Naru and Kitsune and abandons both the dorm and his family in retaliation. Years later, Keitaro, with a new name and a new life for himself, has to face his past. Can he learn to forgive his family?
1. The Betrayal

Love Hina: Consequences

A Love Hina Fanfiction

By Snafu the Great

Snafu's Disclaimer: I don't own squat, with the exception of Chris Kurata. Ken Akamatsu owns the motley crew of Keitaro and the Hinata honies. This is the second dark fanfic I've written under Love Hina. This time, instead of bashing Naru, nearly all of the girls of the Hinata are going to be bashed in one way or another. This was an idea that came to me while I was working one day and I decided to put it on paper. This fic is basically one based on redemption (for some people) and forgiveness. Enjoy.

_**Part One: The Betrayal**_

It was a simple plan.

It was supposed to be one hundred percent foolproof.

The plan was devised by Naru Narusegawa and Mitsune Konno. Both girls were tenants of the Hinata Apartments, an all-girl dormitory that was currently owned by one Keitaro Urashima, the grandson of the building's previous owner, Hinata Urashima.

The plan was to have Hina herself eject Keitaro as manager.

In the two years that Keitaro had the run of Hinata House, the three elder girls - Naru, Kitsune and the Shimnmeiryu master kendoka Motoko Aoyama had tried to run Keitaro out of the dorm. All of their attempts had failed.

However, it was both Naru and Kitsune that had came up with the plan to forcibly remove Keitaro out of the dorm.

Hina was coming back to Japan to visit the dorm and her family. Thanks to Suu, who had given Kitsune several forged documents regarding a pregnancy in which Kitsune would name Keitaro as the father, Hina would demand that Keitaro would do the right thing and marry Kitsune.

Once Keitaro did as he was ordered to, Kitsune would then divorce him and demand the Hinata Apartments as part of the settlement, in effect leaving Keitaro homeless and the dorms under Naru's control.

Motoko's role was minor, but it was still an important role. She would turn Suu, Sara and Shinobu against Keitaro, which Motoko did with great success in the months before Hina's visit.

While Keitaro was away, visiting Kanako in the hospital, Naru and Kitsune confronted Hina with the doctored papers, claiming that Keitaro was the father following a drunken night of passion with Kitsune. Hina reacted as Naru had predicted. By the time Keitaro had returned, he was surprised to see his parents and Haruka present, as were Kitsune, Naru and Motoko.

What happened on that day was something that not even Naru and Kitsune did not see coming.

* * *

[Flashback]

_Hinata House, three days earlier._

_"WHAT?!" Keitaro shouted as the news was dropped in his lap. He was inside the common room of Hinata House, surrounded by his parents, Haruka, his grandmother, and the three eldest tenants of the Hinata.  
_

_"You heard right, you pervert," Naru snapped, playing the role of the enraged tenant to the fullest. "You got Kitsune pregnant after you got her drunk!"_

_"Naru, calm down," Hina said, acting as the voice of reason. Turning to Keitaro, Hina looked at her grandson, disappointment evident on her face. "Keitaro...words cannot tell you about how disappointed I am. You abused your authority as the landlord." She looked at Kitsune, who was doing a very good job of acting as a woman under duress. "Miss Konno may have fallen on hard times, but that does not give you the right to force her to use her body to pay the rent."_

_"That's not true!" Keitaro objected. "SHE blackmails ME to keep from paying rent! On top of that she drained my life savings with her booze binges! I haven't even touched her!"_

_"Are you calling Hina a liar?" Motoko asked, her voice dangerous, her hand inching for the handle of her sword. _

_"Motoko, calm," Hina ordered. Once the kendoka backed off, Hina turned to her grandson. "There is only one way we can deal with this situation, Keitaro. You must marry Mitsune by the end of this week, and give her equal standing as landlord of the dorms."_

_"You're joking, right?" Keitaro replied. "If anything, she would make the dorms bankrupt with her drinking and gambling. I swear on the bones of Grandpa Urashima that I am innocent." He looked at the three elder girls of the dorm. "Ever since I showed up, they tried everything to run me out of the dorms. 'A male cannot run an all-girls dormitory,'" he said, mocking Motoko._

_"Keitaro," Kitsune sobbed, "why are you doing this to me? I only want what's best for our child..."_

_"Nephew," Haruka drawled, "you need to do what's right and marry Kitsune."_

_"Haruka's right, Keitaro," Keitaro's mother said. "You have dishonored our family by not making it into Toudai not once, but three times. By refusing to take responsibility for your child - my grandchild - you are tarnishing our family name even more."_

_Keitaro's patience was wearing very thin. "Is anyone listening to me?!" he half-shouted. "I did not get Kitsune drunk, nor did I take advantage of her! How many times do I have to spell it out for you people?!"_

_"Just admit that you slept with Kitsune, Keitaro," Naru snapped. "Admit it and accept responsibility!"_

_Keitaro spun on the hyper-tempered redhead. "I wasn't speaking to you, Narusegawa," he replied, his voice taking on a steely hardness. "Do me a favor and shut up."_

_"YOU LITTLE - " Naru began, only to be restrained by Haruka and Motoko._

_Hina sighed. "Keitaro, I love you as if you were my son," she said, "but you have to take responsibility for your actions. You took advantage of Mitsune while in her drunken state. She is pregnant with your child."_

_"But Granny - " Keitaro began._

_"Do not interrupt me," Hina snapped. "You have two choices - either marry Mitsune...or surrender the deed to Hinata House and resign as manager."_

_Keitaro's blood was boiling. No one in his family believed him. Not even his parents or Haruka. The biggest betrayal was from Hina herself. Surely she would be the one to see reason, but it was no use. Keitaro had his back up against the wall. _

_He should have seen this sooner. None of the girls really cared for him. His Aunt had left him out to dry, as did his parents. And Hina..._

_"Keitaro, what is your decision?"_

_Hina's voice broke Keitaro out of his reverie. He leveled his gaze on his grandmother. The one person that he could count on to stand by his side, was siding with the girls. _

_"You can have this damned place for all I care," Keitaro stated flatly. "I quit. I would rather slit my own throat rather than be the whipping boy and scapegoat for a group of self-righteous, man-hating bitches for eternity." He glared at Kitusne, who squirmed under his glare. "And if you think I actually got that drunken, blackmailing whore pregnant, then all of you need to get your heads examined."_

_"Keitaro!" Hina admonished._

_Naru and Kitsune both exchanged glances. This **DEFINTELY** was not part of the plan. By this time, Keitaro would have kowtowed to his family's demands. What they **DID NOT** know was that with every Naru-punch, Shimmeiryu ki-attack, and every con they had put Keitaro through, his trust towards the girls had went down to the point that he no longer trusted them._

_And now, this little stunt of the three conspirators had pushed Keitaro over the edge, the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back._

_"How dare you, Urashima!" Motoko shouted, reaching for her sword. "Apologize to Kitsune if you know what's good for you!"_

_"Piss off, kendo girl," was Keitaro's reply. When it looked like Motoko was going to attack Keitaro, he pulled out his trump card. "I got your sister's number on speed dial on my cellphone. Don't give me a reason to use it," he threatened. "Unless you want your precious kendo school to lose face when I give Tsuruko all of the details on how you assaulted an innocent man, then you better sit down and shut up, you samurai wannabe."_

_Keitaro's threat had gotten through to Motoko, who backed off. The last thing she needed was her sister, the 'Demon Blade of Kyoto,' Tsuruko Aoyama, at the Hinata's doorstep._

_"Keitaro Urashima!" his mother barked out. "You will marry this girl, whether you like it or not! If you don't then I will disown you where you stand!"_

_Naru and Kitsune both exchanged glances. This was getting out of hand. They wanted Keitaro gone, not this._

_Hina tried to diffuse the explosive situation between her daughter-in-law and her grandson. "Now, wait a moment! Keitaro, everyone please calm down before someone says something that can't be taken back!"_

_Keitaro leveled a cold glare at his mother before turning on his heels and storming towards the front door. _

_Hina tried to stop him. "Keitaro, wait!" _

_Keitaro had reached the front door, Without turning around, he addressed his grandmother. "We have nothing else to discuss, Hinata Urashima." The cold formality that Keitaro used to address the matriarch of the Urashima family surprised even the three co-conspirators, as Hina stepped back as if she was slapped._

_"I told you that I was innocent, that I did not have sex with Kitsune," Keitaro continued. "It's not my fault that she is an alcoholic sleaze who is one step away from spreading her legs to the first man who would pay her bar tab." He turned to the three girls. "My congratulations to the three of you. You got me out of the Hinata, but my resignation comes with a heavy price." _

_The ronin turned to his family, anger evident on his face. When he spoke, his voice was ice-cold. "You took their side over mine. In any case, that makes you no better than them."_

_"Keitaro..." Hina began. _

_"Save it," he snapped. "You just lost a grandson. I want nothing more to do with this place, I want nothing to do with the Urashima name, and I want nothing to do with **you**. As far as I'm concerned, I never want to see any of you ever again. I hate you all."_

_The tone was calm, but the anger in his voice was evident, as it chilled the offending party to the bone. Keitaro then departed from the house, slamming the door behind him, leaving his family and the three girls in a state of shock as what Keitaro had done finally settled in._

_Keitaro had renounced his family name, effectively making himself ronin._

_Hina managed to shake herself out of her stupor and ran after her grandson. "Keitaro! Keitaro, wait!"_

"_Keitaro!" Haruka shouted. "Keitaro, stop! Please!"_

_Keitaro ignored them as he continued to walk down the stairs, ignoring the calls and cries of his now-former grandmother and aunt._

_Soon, he was gone. _

_Hina sank to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, while Haruka and her elder brother tried to console her, but with no success._

_Naru, Kitsune and Motoko had watched the entire debacle play out. So far, everything had gone according to plan...until Keitaro renounced his family name and left the apartments in a rage._

_All three girls were thinking the same thing, as their realized that their scheme had backfired in the most extreme way: 'What have we done?'_

[End Flashback]

* * *

Three days had passed since the explosive confrontation inside the Hinata Apartments.

Since then, Keitaro Urashima was not seen anywhere in the town or at the cram school where he was studying for the next entrance exams.

Hina and Haruka found out later that Keitaro had withdrew from the school. Haitani and Shirai, Keitaro's friends were of no help either. Keitaro had told them everything and that he was leaving Tokyo as a result of this betrayal, which explained their open hostility towards Haruka and Hina when they questioned the two ronins.

Haruka suspected that they knew where Keitaro was and threatened bodily harm if they did not tell her where her nephew was hiding. Haitani and Shirai raised Haruka's threat by threatening to call the police unless they left their apartment. Only when Shirai had the police on the line did the two Urashima women realized that the two were not bluffing and left without any further incident.

The only two people that were actually on Keitaro's side were his stepsister and the Okinawan watermelon fanatic. Kanako Urashima was in the hospital getting her tonsils removed, effectively neutralizing her from being a factor to keep Hina from making any judgment in Keitaro's favor. Mutsumi Otohime was in Okinawa visiting her family when she received word about what has happened. Despite her ditzy demeanor, Mutsumi suspected that Naru, Motoko and Kitsune had a hand in Keitaro leaving the Hinata the way that he did.

Since then, Hina had locked herself inside her room, refusing to be consoled by anyone. Even Naru was forbidden to enter Hina's room through the hole in her room, on threat of eviction by Haruka, who was made the acting landlord by Hina.

* * *

One night, as everyone was fast asleep inside the Hinata, the three elder girls were holding an emergency meeting inside Naru's room.

"This scheme of yours has gone too far, Naru," Kitsune hissed. "I didn't want this to happen to Hina!"

"What's done is done," Naru said firmly. "That baka pervert is gone, and Hina is back as the landlord."

"This plan of yours did not take into account that Keitaro would actually renounce his family name and disappear!" Kitsune whispered furiously. "We didn't take into account about how Hina would take this! Keitaro's been gone for almost a week and Hina's gonna worry herself sick!"

Motoko nodded. "Indeed. Urashima has shown his true colors and has turned tail and fled like the coward that he truly is. Narusegawa is right. What's done is done. The purity of Hinata House is finally restored."

"You're in it as deep as the rest of us," Naru reminded her. "All of us."

"The plan was to force Keitaro into marrying me so that I could get the Hinata when we divorced," the fox snapped. "This plan is fucked up because we did not see this coming! What happens if Keitaro dies out there? What then?"

Motoko sniffed. "The world would be better off without a spineless pervert like him."

**SMACK!**

Motoko did not see Kitsune's hand until it was too late. The kendoka's head rocked to the side as Kitsune backhanded her. Motoko cried out, not in pain but in surprise as she fell to the floor. "You're just a poser like the rest of us, kendo girl. You talk a big game about honor, yet you're no better than the rest of us. Pride and honor my ass."

Kitsune stood up and strode towards the door. Naru, however stopped her by blocking her from exiting the room. "Just remember, Kitsune," Naru reminded her. "You agreed to this plan. That makes you just as responsible for driving him away. Don't worry about Haruka and Hina. As long as they don't know the truth, so much the better."

Kitsune knew that Naru was right. She was just as responsible for driving Keitaro away.

"We made a promise, the three of us," Naru continued. "We will not speak of this to anyone. We will carry this to our graves, if needs be."

Kitsune shoved Naru to the side. "You're just as bad as she is," she sniped, gesturing to Motoko, who was nursing her bloodied lip. "But don't worry. I won't say anything. But if Keitaro does die out there, then his blood is on all our hands."

Kitsune exited the room in a huff.

Naru turned to Motoko. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Motoko nodded. "I am fine. For someone who lacks control, Kitsune has a mean backhand."

"We should keep an eye on her for the next couple of days," Naru replied. "She may end up telling Hina about what happened."

"I agree."

In the next couple of days, the would find out that Kitsune would be the least of their problems.


	2. The Discovery

_**Part Two: The Discovery**_

A.N.: I paid homage to fellow writer Ryutaro in this chapter with a reference from one of his stories.

University of Washington, Seattle, Washington – nine years later...

A summer class on archeology was taking place at the University of Washington.

The curator was a Japanese man, thirty years old, with a lean, athletic physique which was hidden by the shirt and pants he wore. Shoulder-length dark brown hair was tied into a ponytail, a pair of wireframe reading glasses were on his face. The goatee and mustache was neatly trimmed.

The lecture hall was filled with over twenty students, most of them female as they watched with longing in their eyes as the older man went on about his lecture.

The man's name was Chris Kurata. Five years earlier, he had graduated from the University of Washington, a history major. The star pupil of the famous explorer Takeshi Minamoto, Chris had made a name for himself by following in his mentor's footsteps, becoming a famous archeologist in his own right. Just recently, he had earned his doctorate, the youngest in the University's history to accomplish such a feat.

But despite his past achievements, Doctor Chris Kurata had a secret past. A secret that only his wife knew about, seeing as how he had told her once. Nine years ago, he was known by another name.

That name was Keitaro Urashima.

Nine long years had passed since that day at the Hinata. Nine long years had passed since Keitaro was betrayed by his family when they believed the words of his former charges over his own.

Keitaro knew that Haruka and Hina would be looking for him, so he decided to leave Japan altogether. What Hina nor Haruka did not know was that he had been planning to leave for quite sometime now. However, the betrayal at Hinata House had all but sped up the process.

Shirai was of great help. Thanks to his connections within the Japanese government, he was able to get Keitaro a new identity. Keitaro had already chosen the name Kurata to be his last name, but it was Haitani and his love of videogames that gave Keitaro the first name.

One of Haitani's favorite games was 'Biohazard,' in which one of the main character's name just so happened to be Chris. Thus, Chris Kurata was born.

Surprisingly enough, Haruka and Hina had arrived at their doorstep as Keitaro was making his final preparations to leave Japan. When Shirai had phoned the police, threatening to have the both of them arrested, did the two Urashima women departed without incident.

With a birth certificate, along with school certificates, several thousand dollars, and a passport, Keitaro bid his friends farewell and had left Japan.

Upon arriving in Seattle, Keitaro Urashima was no more. He was now Chris Kurata, a Japanese student attending school in the U.S. Thanks to Noriyasu Seta, Chris had developed an interest in archaeology. It was in his second year that Chris had attracted the attention of the University's resident archaeologist, Professor Minamoto.

Thanks to Minamoto, Chris had acquired a full scholarship to the university. Impressed with Chris's will and drive, Minamoto had taken the young student on as his protege, taking him on his excavation sites, not to mention having several close calls from the locals whom Minamoto had a bad habit of crossing. Minamoto also discovered that his pupil also had a knack in martial arts, another thing which the older man had trained him in.

Despite Minamoto's flaws, he had succeeded in rebuilding the man formerly known as Keitaro Urashima from a bitter, broken-down shell of a man to a mature, confident and experienced archaeologist. For that, Keitaro was eternally grateful.

With Minamoto's untimely passing several years earlier, Chris had already had several successful excavations under his belt. And unfortunately, like his mentor, Chris had developed the bad habit of crossing the line with the locals, which ended up in the occasional shootout, or in some cases an all-out brawl. Despite his flaws, Chris Kurata was one of the world's best archaeologists.

Chris was lecturing the class about Howard Carter's discovery of Tutankamen's tomb when the door opened and an attractive woman around Chris's age entered. She took a seat and listened as Chris continued to lecture to the class. The woman was of mixed ancestry – having a Japanese father and an American mother. She had fair skin, blonde hair, like her mother, and the almond-shaped eyes of her father (think Parasite Eve's Aya Brea). She watched with pride as her husband lectured the eager students of his summer class.

It was also through Chris's late mentor that he had met his future wife. They had met in Professor Minamoto's class when he had assigned the both of them to work on a research paper together. Cailyn Hiroyuki was a dual English and Art major who decided to take up the archaelogy class to round out her workload.

That was where she had met Chris, a transfer student from Japan who had according to him, had a falling out with his family before leaving for America. Along with that little matter, Cailyn discovered that he was particularly wary around women. But Cailyn persevered and once they had became friends, Chris had told her about his former life and the reasons why he had left Japan. Cailyn understood all too well, since her father was also estranged from his family back in Japan for marrying her mother.

They had gotten serious during their junior year. By the time they graduated, they were already married, Cailyn settling into her career as a author and manga artist. By the end of their first year, they had welcomed their first child – a son. Their main residence was back in Japan, where Chris worked as a professor of archaeology and history at Tokyo's Waseda University. They were only back in Seattle for the summer, visiting Cailyn's parents, and Chris was teaching a three-week summer class at his alma matter.

After three hours, Chris dismissed the class. The students all piled out of the class, with the exception of Cailyn, who remained behind. As Chris erased the dryboard, Cailyn approached her husband.

"I know you're there, Cailyn," Chris said as he continued to erase the board.

His halvsie wife pouted. "You're no fun."

Chris grinned and placed the eraser on the desk. Turning to his wife, Chris took her into his arms and kissed her gently on the lips. "Where's our son?"

Cailyn kissed her husband on the nose. "Getting spoiled rotten by his grandparents. I thought that we could have some time to ourselves."

Chris grinned. "Sounds good to me. So how long are your parents keeping our child?"

"Two days. After that, it's back to Tokyo. I got a meeting with the publishers in regards to the new manga that I'm working on, so I gotta play catch up."

"Catch up?" Chris repeated. "You're ahead of schedule."

Cailyn smiled impishly. "Who said anything about playing catch up with the manga?"

Chris chuckled. "I knew there was a reason why I married you. Let me finish cleaning up here. Then we'll head back to the flat, okay?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Somewhere over the Pacific...

Japan Airlines Flight 1092 had just taken off following a stop at Honolulu International Airport to refuel and drop off and pick up several passengers. Two of them had been on the plane since it left Narita Airport half a day earlier. They were on their way to Seattle.

Haruka Urashima, owner of the Hinata Teahouse and wife to Noriyasu Seta, Toudai's resident archaelogist was seated near the window. Her aforementioned husband had the seat next to the aisle. In the nine years following Keiaro's self-imposed exile from Hinata House and from his own family, the Urashima family had all been torn apart thanks to Naru and Kitsune's lies.

It was Haruka who had stumbled onto the horrifying truth following her and Hina's visit to Haitani and Shirai. She had overheard the three elder girls' conversation concerning the matter. What made Haruka's blood boil was the callousness of Naru's scheme.

Instead of taking the direct approach and wrecking shop on the muscle, Haruka simply waited. The following day, while the girls were out (Kitsune included, on a writing assignment) with the exception of Hina, Haruka snuck into Naru's room. Sure enough, in Naru's diary, were entries detailing Naru's plan in banishing Keitaro out of the Hinata, and getting the other girls to back her up.

Haruka's first course of action was to go down to the cram school and beat the shit out of Naru to the point of death. But that would had been ill-advised, so she came up with Plan B.

The weak link in the chain was Motoko. So she made a phone call to the Shinmeiryu Kendo School. After a long conversation with Tsuruko Aoyama, Motoko's elder sister, the elder kendoka was very, very displeased with Motoko's actions towards Haruka's nephew. Both her and her husband, a noted master kendoist and poet, would be at the Hinata the following day.

Hina was purposely left out in the dark. It was mean, but it was for her own good.

It was the following day that the truth was revealed...

* * *

[Flashback]

_Hinata House, nine years earlier..._

_Haruka watched as the gathered girls consumed their breakfast. 'Guilty...all of them,' was the rampant thought going through her head._

_Well...not exactly all of the girls were guilty. According to Naru's journal entries only Kanako and Mutsumi were not in the scheme. Mainly because Mutsumi was still in Okinawa when the plan had taken place and Kanako was still in the hospital._

_The chain-smoking Urashima had even invited Seta to the dormitory. Aside from Tsuruko, Seta was the only other person that Haruka had explained everything to. Seta was shocked, then pissed at the fact that the girls could be so cruel (Sara included) to his favorite part-time worker. What made Seta furious was the fact that nearly all of the girls had betrayed Keitaro in such a fashion. Seta, however was running late and would be at the Hinata minutes later._

_Haruka looked at Naru. She looked pleased with her actions, despite the fact that Kitsune had pointed out that Keitaro could very much die out on the streets. But it was Motoko who made the callous remark that the world would be better without him, forcing Haruka to restrain herself from throttling the kendoka for that remark._

_But soon, the girls' deception will come to a crashing halt._

_And the catalyst had just walked into the dining room._

"_Motoko-han."_

_Motoko froze at the sound of the voice. 'No...spirits no...she can't be here...' Motoko looked up, and sure enough, she was staring into the face of her elder sister, Tsuruko Aoyama._

_And she didn't look entirely happy._

_Tsuruko wasn't alone. Behind her, dressed in casual attire, but nonetheless still intimidating, was her husband, master kendoist and award-winning poet, Ryuji Watanabe._

_Naru sprung up, her pervert reflex snapping her to action. She stopped in her tracks when Ryuji drew his sword. "I'd think your next actions carefully, little girl," he drawled in a Kansai accent. "Otherwise, we'll see if the doctors can reattatch your arms to your body."_

_Naru quickly returned to her seat. She did not want to try her luck against someone holding a yard and a half of razor-sharp Japanese steel in one hand. Especially if that person was the husband of Tsuruko Aoyama._

_Motoko swallowed. "A-Aneue...what are you doing here?"_

_Tsuruko's response was simple. Moving faster than anyone could see, Tsuruko's fist impacted against Motoko's jaw, causing the girl to cry out as she was knocked out of her chair. Suu, Shinobu and Sara ran out of the dining room in a fright. If Motoko was scary in a fight, who knows what Tsuruko was capable of._

_Hina was shocked out of her stupor when she saw the elder Aoyama sister cold-cock the younger. "Tsuruko, what is the meaning of this?" she demanded. _

_Ignoring Hina for the moment, Tsuruko grabbed a handful of Motoko's hakama in one hand and pulled her up so that Motoko's face was merely an inch from Tsuruko's._

"_Give me one good reason why I should not cut you into little pieces, Motoko," Tsuruko demanded. "One reason!"_

"_I...I don't know what you're talking about," Motoko whimpered. _

_Not pleased with that answer, Tsuruko tossed Motoko across the room, her body bouncing off the wall before falling to a heap as Naru and Kitsune watched, petrified._

_Tsuruko drew her sword. "I found out something very interesting in regards to your previous kanrinrin," she said. _

_Kitsune and Naru paled. Haruka caught the expression and smiled. Both Naru and Kitsune tried to exit the dining room, but Ryuji stood in their way. Pointing to the chairs with his drawn sword, Naru and Kitsune resigned themselves to their fate and sat back down. They looked at Haruka, whose expression told them one thing: they're toast._

_Hina looked up. ""Keitaro? Have you seen Keitaro?"_

_Tsuruko shook her head. "No, Elder Hina. But my dear **sister**," she hissed, pronouncing the title with sarcasm, "would like to confess her crimes towards your grandson." She turned back to Motoko. "Isn't that right, Motoko-han?" _

_When it looked like Motoko was going to try and lie her way out of her predicament, Tsuruko dropped the nail in her coffin. "I am giving you one chance, Motoko. Just one chance to confess your crimes to Elder Hina and Haruka. If you lie to me..." she pulled out a hiltless tanto showed it to Motoko. "...then you will commit seppuku for the dishonor you have brought upon yourself, our family and upon our school...and I will not be your second. You will bleed to death where you stand, a slow, painful death."_

_Faced with a death sentence over her head, Motoko confessed. "It's true. Urashima was innocent of the charges that Naru and Kitsune had brought against him. They both wanted him out of the Hinata and I was more than happy to help. I turned the young ones against him. Kitsune was never pregnant. The papers that showed that she was pregnant were falsified. Naru had Suu create several false documents saying that Kitsune was with child."_

_Hina was wide-eyed. Keitaro was driven away from his home solely on a lie. A lie that the entire family had believed. _

"_Naru and Kitsune's plan was simple," Motoko continued. "Elder Hina and Haruka would force Keitaro into marrying Kitsune. Then she would divorce him and demand the Hinata as part of the settlement. Naru would take control of the dorms and Urashima would be thrown out into the streets."_

_Hina turned towards Naru and Kitsune. "Is this true?" she demanded. "You lied to us?"_

_Before Naru could say anything, Haruka pulled out her trump card. She slid Naru's diary across the table, where it came to a stop in front of Hina. _

_Naru recognized the item. Turning to Haruka, she shouted, "It was you?!"_

_Haruka nodded. "It was me. I overheard you three talking about how the world would be better off without Keitaro," she snarled. "I knew that Kitsune would keep her mouth shut. But Motoko was the weak link. I called Tsuruko and told her everything."_

"_Which is why I am here," Tsuruko finished. She turned to Hina and bowed deeply. "Elder Hina, I must apologize for the dishonor that my sister has brought upon you, your family and onto Hinata House. It appears that she has picked up many bad habits from Narusegawa and Konno." She looked at Motoko. "The elders have already been notified of your deeds, including the assaults on your former Kanrinrin. You have no idea what you have done, Motoko! You have attacked an innocent man on a whim!"_

_Ryuji placed a hand on Tsuruko's shoulder, which had the desired effect of calming her down._

_Tsuruko took a deep breath before continuing. "You are no longer important, Motoko. I am reclaiming my birthright. You are hearby stripped of your sword and you will return to Kyoto immediately to face the council for judgment." Turning back to Hina, Tsuruko said, "Elder, I am terminating the lease agreement for my sister...if she even deserves to be called that by the time the council is through with her. The Shinmeiryu School will also reimburse you for the damages brought upon the apartments."_

_Hina was not listening. She was instead reading Naru's diary, particularly the last end entries in which Naru had gloated about Keitaro's expulsion. The Urashima matriarch was trembling with rage. She knew that things had been rough, given the fact that she had given the reins of authority to her now-former grandson. But she never expected something like this to happen._

_In the meantime, Tsuruko and Ryuji left with Motoko, offering apologies to Haruka and to Hina, the latter had just finished reading the entries in Naru's diary. Trembling with sadness and rage over the fact that she had betrayed her grandson._

_"Granny – " Naru began, hoping that the elder Urashima would listen to reason._

_Hina silenced her with a glare. "Don't, Naru. Just...**don't**. There is absolutely no excuse for your actions. Because of you and Kitsune, I had betrayed my grandson. I want the both of you out. Now. As landlord of Hinata House, I am terminating not only your leases, but also the leases of Maehara, Suu and MacDougal. Miss Otohime is exempt because she has been in Okinawa for the past two weeks. I am also going to notify your parents of your deceit, Naru. They will not be pleased as to what you have done."_

_Hina turned to Haruka. "Haruka, escort these two to the door. I have some phone calls to make."_

_Haruka nodded and Hina silently took her leave. Naru and Kitsune exchanged glances. "I guess we start packing," Naru said._

"_No. The both of you leave only with the clothes on your back," Haruka snapped. "Keitaro left without taking anything of his. You can do the same."_

_When it looked like that they were going to argue, Haruka simply responded by grabbing the both of them by the back of their necks and following Hina's orders, 'escorted' Naru and Kitsune, albeit painfully, to the front door. _

_Hina was waiting for them. She opened the door for Haruka, allowing her daughter to unceremoniously throw out the two that were responsible for running her nephew._

"_You better pray that Keitaro is still alive," Haruka threatened. "If he dies out there, I will be the last thing you will ever see."_

_The door then slammed shut._

[End Flashback]

* * *

That was nine years ago.

Nine long years since Keitaro had stormed out of the Hinata Apartments in a blind rage, never to be seen again.

Nine years Haruka had searched for her missing nephew. With Mutsumi now running the teahouse whenever needed, Haruka had a lot more free time to search for Keitaro.

One good thing came out of Keitaro's disappearance. She had reconciled with her old flame, Noriyasu Seta. They later married in a quiet ceremony. She had a son, which she named after her missing nephew.

Forty years old and Haruka was aging gracefully. There were small wrinkles around her eyes, but she still looked the same. Another thing about Haruka was that she had quit smoking, and had not had one cigarette in the near-decade since Keitaro went missing.

Seta looked at his wife, concern written on his face. With the exception of his salt-and-pepper hair, Seta was also aging gracefully. Like Haruka, he had quit smoking when Kei was born. He was still the daredevil archaelogist, having earned his own doctorate years earlier.

It was only two days ago when Haruka made an important discovery, which led them to being on a plane en route to Seattle.

She had found out Dr. Kurata's original identity.

* * *

[Flashback]

_Hinata Teahouse, two days earlier._

_Haruka had closed the place for the night, Mutsumi the last person to leave, leaving Haruka alone with Seta. Seta saw at the counter, reading a magazine, sipping at his tea. Their son, Kei, was already in the bed, fast asleep._

"_I don't believe this," Seta groused as he set down the magazine, titled 'Archaeologist Digest.' "Everyone's been looking for the temple to Namusan Sampou and this guy finds it."_

"_Who are you talking about?" Haruka asked. _

_Seta hands his wife the magazine. "See for yourself."_

_Haruka scanned the article. "'Dr. Chris Kurata...Kurata...I've heard that name before," she said. She then snapped her fingers as she remembered. "Cailyn Kurata, the manga artist and writer."_

_Seta nodded. "Cailyn is Chris Kurata's wife. I met the both of them once at a convention in Hawaii."_

_Haruka flipped the page, revealing a picture of Chris overlooking the temple excavation. The jungle temple compound itself was impressive, despite being nothing but ruins, about half of the size of Jerusalem's Temple Mount._

"_The guy's a real enigma," Seta continued. "He was the last pupil of Dr. Minamoto, one of the best in the business. From what I heard, Kurata is a real piece of work. Kurata also works as a professor in Archaeology down at Waseda. He also teaches summer classes at the University of Washington in America."_

_It was at that moment, Haruka noticed something. "Seta," Haruka began, "do you still have that magnifying glass on you?"_

_Seta nodded and after searching through his pockets, retrieved the item and handed it to Haruka. Haruka began to scan the picture of Chris overseeing the excavation. Or, rather, his right leg, since in the picture, Chris was wearing a pair of shorts._

_Haruka gasped as she found what she was looking for. On Chris's calf, was a scar, starting from below the kneecap and ending halfway down his leg. Haruka remembered that particular injury well. Keitaro had hurt himself as a child and it was Haruka herself that had carried him back to the Hinata, where her grandfather, Ken Urashima – who was a respected doctor in the community – had patched up his grandson. _

"_Haruka," Seta began. "What is it?"_

"_That scar..." Haruka whispered as she dropped the glass on the counter, realization dawning on her. "I know that scar...It's him, Seta. It's Keitaro."_

"_Nani? Are you sure?"_

_Haruka slowly nodded. "I remember...I carried him to the Hinata myself after I bandaged up that leg. Dad tended to the injury."_

_Seta looked at the picture. He then pulled out his wallet and plucked out an old picture of himself and Keitaro. After a minute, Seta exhaled sharply. "Son of a gun...it **is **Keitaro! Chris Kurata is Keitaro Urashima."_

_Haruka slumped into her chair. Nine long years she had been searching for Keitaro. And she had almost given up hope. Keitaro was still alive. Alive and well, with a family of his own._

_But Haruka never forgot that night. That night when both Hina and herself had betrayed Keitaro by falling for Naru and Kitsune's scheme. The fallout was even worse. _

_Kanako, who was in the hospital getting her tonsils removed, was absolutely furious, and her actions towards Haruka showed it. Upon returning from the hospital, Kanako slapped Haruka square across the face before going after Motoko, declaring a blood feud between the Shinmeiryu School and the Urashima family. Sure enough, Kanako found Motoko and after defeating the majority of the kendoka present, Kanako fought Motoko. In the ensuing battle, Kanako had beaten Motoko within an inch of her life._

_The final indignity was when Kanako brutally shattered Motoko's sword hand by stepping on it, making sure that she was unable to hold a sword again. Her objective complete, Kanako left the Shinmeiryu Dojo and returned to the Hinata. Afterwards, Kanako returned to the Hinata to run the dorm. She managed to forgive Hina, but treated Haruka with nothing but contempt, and continued to do so for the past nine years. _

_Keitaro's parents had long since divorced. Keitaro's mother, despite the evidence in front of her, had demanded that Keitaro should still marry Kitsune. Keitaro's father, had enough. In the ensuing divorce, it was discovered that Keitaro's mother had been unfaithful to her husband. _

_As a result, the judge had rewarded the family sweets shop to Keitaro's father. His mother got nothing._

_Haruka thought about calling Hina and Kanako, but quickly decided against it. Instead, she called Mutsumi on her cellphone, asking that she take over for the next couple of days. The next call, was to Narita Airport, where she purchased two tickets (at Seta's request) to Seattle, where Seta had mentioned that Chris would be holding summer class for at least three weeks before returning to Japan._

"_Seattle? Why?"_

"_Remember mentioning that Keitaro would be teaching a summer course at the university?" Haruka replied. "I got to try, No-kun. There's too much bad blood between us and Kanako is one step away from declaring a blood feud on me. Keitaro can heal the rift in our family."_

"_But he may still be pissed at you and Hina. You **did **screw him over when you took the girls' sides, after all."_

_Haruka sighed. "I know. But I got to try."_

[End Flashback]

* * *

"A yen for you thoughts, Haruka?"

Seta's voice broke Haruka out of her reverie. She faced her husband. "It's been nine years, Seta," she stated. "Nine years since that day. Kami knows that we had to live with our mistake." She paused for a moment. "What do I say to him when I find him? 'Hi, Keitaro, it's been a long time and sorry for not believing you?' He never held a grudge in his life..."

She slumped in her seat. "You should have seen his face, Seta. He was so hurt...and angry. I don't know if he can ever forgive us for what we did to him."

Seta took his wife's hand into his. "Keitaro will forgive you. As long as you remain truthful to him, he will forgive you."

Haruka sighed. "I hope you're right."

"Me too."


	3. Contact

_**Part Three: Contact**_

Seattle, Washington.

A rental car slowed to a stop in front of the modest summer home owned by the Hiroyuki family. Inside the car, Seta was behind the wheel, while Haruka was riding shotgun. It had taken Seta a couple of hours, but after bribing one of the University's faculty members, he managed to acquire Chris's home address. Haruka looked out the window, the growing anticipation changing into dread as every second passed. Her hand was on the door handle, but she did not move.

"This is the place," Seta said looked at his wife. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Haruka slowly nodded.

"This was your idea. Are you chickening out on me?"

Haruka shook her head. "No."

"Maybe I should go in there and talk to Keitaro," Seta suggested. "He got along with me the best, with the exception of Kanako."

Haruka glared at her husband. "No. You stay here." She opened the door and stepped out of the car.

* * *

Inside the house, Cailyn was enjoying her afternoon cup of tea. Chris was at the University, teaching his class. Her son was still at her parents' house, being spoiled rotten. The young manga artist/writer had planned on going up to the university again and treat her hard-working husband to dinner.

That is, until there was a knock at the door.

Curious as to who could be at her home this time of the day, Cailyn walked over to the door and opened it. Standing on the opposite end, was a shorthaired Japanese woman, older than she was. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"I'm looking for Dr. Chris Kurata," Haruka replied politely. "Is he here? I have an important matter to discuss with him."

Cailyn shook her head. "My husband is not here at the moment. He is teaching a class at the university. He should be here in a couple of minutes."

Haruka's face fell slightly. "Oh. Sorry to disturb you."

"You can come in and wait for him," Cailyn replied, stepping aside, allowing Haruka to enter.

"Thank you," Haruka replied. "Forgive my manners. My name is Haruka Urashima."

"Cailyn Kurata," Cailyn introduced herself.

"I know who you are," Haruka said as Cailyn led Haruka to the living room. "I'm a fan of your works. I especially love your mangas."

Cailyn smiled warmly. "Thank you. Would you like some tea while you wait?"

Haruka nodded. "Thank you."

Cailyn excused herself and walked into the kitchen, leaving Haruka alone for the moment. The elder daughter of Hinata Urashima noticed a row of pictures on the mantle. Deciding to kill some time, Haruka inspected them. One of them stood out from the rest.

It was Chris's wedding picture. The photo made Haruka feel even worse. 'I've missed so much in his life,' she thought sadly. 'He looked so happy in this photo.'

Indeed, Chris was happy. He looked handsome in his tuxedo, while Cailyn was absolutely radiant in her wedding dress. Standing next to Chris was his mentor and father figure, Dr. Minamoto. On Cailyn's side, was her parents – her Japanese father and her American mother.

Haruka noticed that Haitani and Shirai were also in the photo. She had long since suspected that those two had a hand in Keitaro's disappearance, but had no proof.

"Sorry it took so long with the tea," Cailyn apologized as she balanced a tray with a teapot and two cups. "It's been a while since I entertained guests."

Haruka waved her off. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing."

Cailyn set the tray on the table. "I see you noticed the wedding photo," she noticed. "Chris and I had gotten married in our junior year. We both met in Dr. Minamoto's class."

Haruka sat down opposite Cailyn as she served the tea. The beverage did calm Haruka down somewhat, but she was still nervous.

"So, Miss Urashima," Cailyn began. "What business do you have with my husband?"

"I've been looking for him for nine years," Haruka replied calmly. "And just call me Haruka. I'm not really into formalities."

"Okay, Haruka. But you still haven't answered my question."

Of course Cailyn knew the truth about her husband. Keitaro did tell her once their relationship became more and more serious. The fact that Cailyn had won over Keitaro's trust was a miracle in itself, seeing as how affected Keitaro had been following his betrayal.

Unbeknownst to Haruka, Cailyn also knew who Haruka was, since Keitaro also had told her about his family.

Haruka took a deep breath before explaining. "Your husband's real name is not Chris Kurata. His birth name is...well, **was** Keitaro Urashima. His father - my brother - is Shinoda Urashima and his mother is Kimiko Urashima. Keitaro is my nephew. I'm here...to correct a terrible wrong that my family had done to him."

"You mean the betrayal back at Hinata House nine years ago?" Cailyn responded casually, as if she was asking the time.

Haruka nearly choked on her tea. 'How...how did she...?'

"Of course I know," Cailyn replied as she set down her teacup. "When you told me who you are, it clicked in my head. Chris and I have no secrets between us. That was one of the first things he told me when we got married." Now she had an angry look on her face. "What I want to know is why."

Cailyn's voice now took on an angry tone. "He told me everything - how you, his parents, and your mother sided with those self-righteous, man-hating bitches instead of thinking things through. You and your family are responsible for driving him away!"

Haruka closed her eyes in shame. Cailyn was right.

The young woman continued on with her barrage, not relenting. "I met Chris nine years ago, when he came to America to attend university. He was so full of hate and resentment, mostly towards the opposite gender. I guess it was how those harpies had treated him when he was the landlord, right? You were his aunt, for crying out loud! You should have helped him!"

"..." Haruka remained silent. She couldn't deny it because it was all true. She had failed Keitaro. Big time.

"He told me that you took their side when one of the girls claimed that she was pregnant with their child, after Keitaro got her drunk and took advantage of her," Cailyn continued. "He told me that all of you had betrayed him, which drove him to renounce his family name and to abandon the Hinata. He told me that he wanted to sever all ties to his past, hence the change in name. He's no longer the Keitaro you know, Haruka. He's my husband, and a wonderful father to our son. He is no longer Keitaro Urashima. That person is gone, and not coming back. He is Chris Kurata."

Cailyn calmed down a little, mentally slapping herself for going off like that. "Sorry. I get a bit defensive when it comes to Chris. I guess I get it from my mother." She turned to a second photo on the coffee table, this one of herself, Chris and their son.

"Chris was so full of anger and resentment when we met back in university," Cailyn continued. "We were assigned to be partners for an exam. That was how I first met him. When the exam was complete, I decided to try and get to know him a bit better. It was a uphill battle, to say the least. He thought I was trying to abuse or take advantage of him - something those whores back at the Hinata did very well...including you to a degree."

Haruka nodded. "I'll admit that I did punch him on occasion, only when he called me 'Aunt.'"

"At least you admitted that part," Cailyn snorted. "I'd say that it was maybe a year and a half before I managed to break through his wall. He opened up to me and we became friends when it was clear that I would not use and abuse him the way those bitches did to him. It took a while, but it paid off. He was more open to everyone and became more happy. Minamoto also helped as well."

"I noticed," Haruka said. "He also gets into trouble like his mentor as well."

Cailyn nodded. "True. But he does have his moments."

Haruka sipped at her tea. "What's his name?"

"Who?"

"My great-nephew. What's his name?"

Cailyn poured herself some more tea. "We named him after his father. Chris Kurata, Jr. He's with his grandparents at the moment."

Haruka began to reply when the deadbolt unlocked and the door opened.

"Cailyn? I'm home."

The voice was more mature, more confident. Haruka's heart was threatening to pump its way out of her chest as she took several deep breaths to calm herself down.

"In here, Chris," Cailyn replied. "We got company."

Cailyn's husband entered the living room. "Who's your friend, Ca-chan?" Chris asked, looking at Haruka's back. "Another agent? Or a fan?"

Before Cailyn could answer, Haruka stood up and turned around.

Almost immediately, the color drained from Chris's face as he recognized his aunt. Sure she was forty, but Chris recognized her instantly. Soon, his shock gave way to anger. Nine years of pent-up anger threatened to boil over.

Haruka looked at her former nephew. The gentleness from his face was gone, replaced by a more mature and serious expression.

He was also very angry, showing that he still felt the pangs of betrayal.

Cailyn watched this scene with a worried look in her eyes. At least she was thankful that she had left the knives in the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" Chris demanded. "How did you find me?"

Haruka flinched at the cold tone. "Wasn't easy," she replied. "It took me nine years, Keitaro."

"I don't go by that name. Not anymore," Chris snapped. "I haven't gone by that name for nine long years, Haruka. My name is Chris Kurata. Keitaro Urashima is dead, as is the rest of my family to me. Keitaro Urashima died nine years ago, on that night when you betrayed me." He pointed to the door. "Get out of my house."

"Kei..." Haruka caught herself as she nearly called Chris by his former name. "Kurata-kun, please listen to me. We made a terrible mistake in siding with Naru and Kitsune, and we all paid for it. Mom...your father...even myself. I came here by myself without the others knowing to try and make amends."

Chris snorted. "And you're just realizing that you and Hina royally fucked up after nine years? Spare me your apologies."

"I know. We all deserve your contempt," Haruka admitted.

"You deserve worse," Chris snapped. "I don't trust you. Not anymore. And when I told you that I never wanted to see any of you again, I meant it. I got a good thing going here. I finally have a good life, and I won't let you or anyone from the Hinata come and fuck it up...including you."

Once again, he pointed to the door. "There's the door. Use it."

As Chris turned and headed towards the stairs, Haruka reached out and grabbed his wrist. "Chris, please...I know we all betrayed you, but..."

She was cut off by Chris, who looked at his former aunt's hand on his wrist before looking her dead in the eyes, promising great pain if she didn't let him go. That and seeing his other hand ball up into a fist.

Haruka caught the threat (as well as his other hand balled into a fist) and released him. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

"I'm not," Chris replied as he opened the door. "Leave. Now."

Seeing as how her former nephew would not listen to reason, Haruka silently complied. Once she was gone, Chris slammed the door and stormed up the stairs. Cailyn, in the meantime, had watched the entire debacle with a worried expression on her face. Once Haruka was gone, she followed her husband upstairs.

* * *

Inside the car, Seta was jolted out of his nap when Haruka entered the car. He looked at his wife and guessed as to how the meeting had played out. "Didn't go too well, huh?"

Haruka wiped the tears from her eyes. "He still hates me, Seta," she sniffed. "I didn't get the chance to tell him. God above, he hates me..."

Seta placed one hand on Haruka's shoulder. "Let's head back to the hotel. I'll talk to him tomorrow. He'll listen to me."

Haruka nodded as Seta gunned the engine and drove off.

* * *

Cailyn found her husband inside their bedroom. He was hunched over the dresser, his body trembling with uncontrollable rage, eyes closed as he tried to get his emotions under control.

"Chris?" Cailyn called out to him. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm peachy, Cailyn," Chris replied with sarcasm in his voice. "The entire world is my oyster. Aside the fact that I almost throttled my former aunt, everything's hunky-dory."

Cailyn moved over to her husband and gently embraced him from behind. Almost immediately, Chris's anger evaporated. For a moment, Cailyn held onto her husband, until he calmed down.

"Chris..." Cailyn whispered. "I'm here for you. If you want to talk about it..."

Chris nodded. "I know."


	4. The Truth Revised

_**Part Three: The Truth (Revised)  
**_

Snafu's Notes: Special thanks to Mr. D for pointing out an error in this chapter. That meant I had to change some of Seta's dialog around and added some extras into the chapter.

University of Seattle, the following day.

Chris was in a foul mood following his 'encounter' with Haruka. Fortunately, he didn't have any classes, but he had to make preparations for his trip back to Japan.

The job at the University of Seattle was just a summer gig. Aside from the occasional excavation, his true job was working as a professor at Waseda University. He first applied for a job working as a Toudai professor, but the university snubbed him, calling him a 'no-talent hack posing as a archaeologist.'

Now, with over thirty excavations under his belt, the Toudai representatives were desperate to have him on their faculty. Unfortunately, Waseda had given him a pretty sweet deal, and he stuck by them, since they financed his expeditions.

Chris was inside his classroom, having packed everything up for the trip back to Tokyo., and was in one of the desks, relaxing, leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head as he began to nod off.

He had calmed down from the previous day's events, but the anger was still there. It was always there, Chris having locked it deep down inside of him. Nine years earlier, he was the landlord of his former grandmother's inn, which she converted to an all-girls' dormitory. For two years, he was nothing more than a means to end. Then came the Incident, which led him to Seattle, and to a new life.

He didn't miss his old life. Not one bit. Despite the problems and the near-close calls in his job, he enjoyed his new life. He had a wife that loved him, a healthy son, and the job of his dreams.

"Dr. Kurata."

Chris opened his eyes, and found himself face-to-face with Noriyasu Seta. "Dr. Seta," he greeted. "What brings you to my part of town?"

Out of all of the people from the Hinata, Chris had gotten along with his former boss the best. Seta was away on one of his excavations when the Incident happened.

"I was in the area, and decided to swing by," Seta replied. His expression then dropped. "We need to talk...part-timer."

Chris's face remained neutral. Seta had figured out who he was. "Congratulations, Seta. You found out who I was. How did you find me?"

"I didn't. My wife did."

"Your wife...?" Chris repeated, puzzled. He then put two and two together. "You married Haruka," he said with a hint of coldness in his voice. "She found out who I was so she can drag me back to the Hinata, kicking and screaming. I'm not going back there, Seta."

"I know as much," Seta replied. "But I did want to speak to you. As one scientist to another. You know me, Kei."

"I do know you," Chris replied. "And it's Chris. I no longer go by that name." He stood up. "Follow me. We can talk in the student union."

Seta nodded and followed the man formerly known as Keitaro Urashima out of the classroom.

* * *

"I want to say first, congrats on your discovery of the old Sampou temple," Seta said as he sipped on his bottle of water. "I know plenty of archaeologists out there who are pissed that you found the site before they did. Myself included"

"You should have been with me when I found the 10-foot tall statue of Our Lady of Chiquinquira," Chris replied, remembering one dangerous expedition into Colombia several months earlier. Discovering the massive statue of Colombia's patroness saint was by sheer dumb luck.

Several days following the discovery, the Colombian government caught wind of Kurata's discovery and within days, declared the location where the statue stood under the protection of the federal government. Even the guerrillas and the drug cartels gave the wily archaeologist a wide berth, allowing him to leave unscathed...as well as sending him a letter congratulating him on the discovery.

"I heard about that. Good thing that the Colombians are Roman Catholics," Seta noted.

"Colombia was nothing, compared to my last assignment," Chris replied. "I was also part of an expedition to search for King Solomon's mines in the forgotten city of Zinj. We found the mines all right, but we had a run in with about two dozen pissed-off gorillas who were guarding the place."

Chris shuddered at the memory. He was tagging along with an expedition, whose members included a fellow explorer by the name of Kelly, as well as a gaijin female working for a telecommunications company, and a gaijin anthropologist seeking to return his pet silverback gorilla to the wild. They found the caves and had retrieved the diamonds, only to narrowly escape with their lives when the place was wiped off the map following a volcanic eruption.

Chris was thankful for the kendo and firearms training that Minamoto had made him go through. That and the gaijin's laser cannon was a contributing factor for his survival.

Seta looked at the former Urashima. "You look good. Never thought that my work ethic rubbed off on you. Who would have thought a three-time ronin would become one of the world's best archaeologists?"

Chris nodded absently. "Why are you here, Seta?" he asked.

"Chris...you're needed back at the Hinata."

Chris shook his head. "Forget it, Seta. I'm not going back to the Hinatasou. My life was ruined because of that place. My ex-parents, Haruka and Hina had taken their sides instead of mine. I never got Kitsune drunk nor did I get her pregnant."

"I believe you," Seta said. "So does Kanako and Mutsumi." Off Chris's surprised look, Seta continued. "Things had changed since you left."

Chris snorted. "I'll bet. I'll bet Naru, Motoko and Kitsune were happy that I left and Hina returned."

"Yeah...for about a week," Seta replied. "They no longer live at the Hinata. Hina threw them out, as well as Shinobu, Sara and Suu. Mutsumi didn't know about the scheme against you, and was spared."

That caught Chris's attention. "Explain."

"From what Haruka had told me, she overhead Naru, Motoko and Kitsune talking about how their plan was a success and how the world would be better off if you had died. Haruka simply waited until the following morning, when everyone was out. She snuck into Naru's rom and swiped her diary. She then called Motoko's sister and told her everything. She then called me and told me what had happened. Tsuruko arrived and forced Motoko to confess both her crimes against you and her role in the scheme to get you kicked out. Haruka did the rest."

Seta paused to take a sip of his water. "As for Shinobu, Suu and Sara, they locked themselves inside their rooms for fear of us. Hina notified their parents and told them that their leases were terminated and explained why. She also took out restraining orders on the three girls and threatened to sue Naru and Suu's families unless reparations were made. The two families buckled under the pressure and paid Hina off. Motoko's family and the Shinmeiryu school had long since paid Hinata off."

Seta frowned slightly. "Chris...I personally want to apologize for the crap that Sara had put you through. I honestly did not know. When Haruka told me Sara's role in torturing you, I was very upset. But you have to understand that Sara's an orphan and I promised her mother that I would look after her. So I had Sara placed in a private military school to see if she could learn some discipline. Sara graduated from school and is attending Tokyo Community College. We're back on speaking terms now, but Sara is still forbidden to step foot in Haruka's shop or the Hinata. That may change later on, however, but even my influence has its limits.

"Suu was stripped of her title of Princess of Molmol and was exiled. Her father could not find it in his heart to disown her. Despite this, she's doing better than all of the other girls. She has her own business firm in Tokyo. She tried to buy out the Hinata several times, but Kanako refused to sell. From what I heard about Kitsune, she had gotten herself pregnant a couple of months after you had left. She didn't want the kid so she abandoned him in front of an orphanage. She works as a waitress at the Mura Sake. Kitsune live in the same building that Suu owns. Whenver she is not working, she is either drinking or entertaining various men."

Keitaro snorted. "Serves the drunken whore right. Can't even take care of her own child, so she abandons it and spreads her legs for anyone willing to pay her bar tab."

"Shinobu was taken back to her parents, who bickered over who would raise her," Seta continued. "It had gotten so bad that she ran away, and was bounced from group home to group home until she turned twenty. Haruka and Hina found her living on the streets, strung out on opium. Hina took pity on her and took her back to the Hinata before someone could turn her out. She's been staying there since, Hina forcing her through withdrawal. She's attending a culinary school in Tokyo, and has been clean for almost two years now. Since Motoko said that she had manipulated Shinobu, she was much easier to forgive. Motoko was brought back to Kyoto to face the Shinmeiryu council. Because of your actions against you, the Shinmeiryu lost face with the kendo world. Hina made sure of that, forcing the council to take drastic steps in preserving the honor of the school. Motoko was stripped of her sword and inheritance. She can never use a sword again. Kanako made sure of that."

"What did she do?'

"When she found out what had happened, she declared a blood feud on the Aoyama family and vowed to destroy the Shinmeiryu Kendo School, unless Motoko faced her in combat. Haruka sent me to Kyoto to try and stop her. But by the time I got there, she had already went through most of the kendoists, as well as Tsuruko's husband. Kanako fought Motoko and pretty much beaten her within an inch of her life. Kanako then crushed Motoko's hand under her foot, making sure that she can never use the sword again. Tsuruko talked Kanako out of the blood feud, saying that the damage to Motoko was already done. Surprizingly enough, Kanako agreed. Motoko was also struck out from the clan roll, and sentenced to live as a monk for the rest of her life. She lives and works as a caretaker of a shrine in the Chiyoda District."

"And Naru?" Chris asked.

"She was thrown out of her home when she tried to return," Seta replied. "She never did get to enroll into Toudai. Instead, she married a wealthy salaryman."

"Figures," Chris muttered.

"But..." Seta countered, "Naru is the worst one off. You can say that the roles have been reversed. Naru is nothing more than a trophy wife. Her husband cheats on her, and she gets knocked around by him. She tried to fight him a couple of months back, but she was sent to the hospital. She was pregnant at the time, and had lost the baby. It's kind of like your relationship with her, only more morbid. He beats on her, then she begs for forgiveness, she returns and the cycle repeats over again."

"Karma can be a real bitch sometimes," Keitaro replied. "At least she got what she deserved. Who'd she marry?"

"Kentaro Sakata."

"That idiot? Are you serious?"

Seta nodded. "Yup. Who knew that the pretty boy was also an abuser? It gotten so bad one time that Naru ran to the Hinata, begging to be let in. Kanako refused. She had no other choice but to return to him. Last I heard, she was still with him. Kanako now runs the dorm. She's changed it to a bed-and-breakfast inn. Mutsumi is one of the permanent residents there, alongside Shinobu."

Chris nodded. "I know. She married Shirai and they both live there. She's also cured of her anemia. Kinda threw me off guard."

"As you know, I married Haruka. We both have a son together. We named him after you. Your parents divorced about three months after the Incident. Despite your innocence, your mother still demanded that you marry Kitsune. Your mom was cheating on your father and he used it against her. He is now in full control of the family sweets shop. He's also remarried – a widow with a child of her own. Kanako and Haruka...well they don't get along at all. Kanako managed to forgive Hina for her part in driving you away, but she hates Haruka with a passion."

Seta paused for a moment, allowing what he has told Keitaro to fully sink into his head. "Chris...your family needs you. What the girls had done to you was horrible. There is a rift in the family that only you can heal. You won't have to worry about the girls. Haruka and Hina have placed restraining orders on all of them. They are not allowed within 500 feet of the Hinata or Haruka's Teashop."

Chris leaned back in his seat. "Give me one good reason why I should return."

"Not for my sake, nor Haruka's," Seta replied. "But for Hinata. She wants to see you again. Chris...your grandmother is dying."

That shot Chris down. "What?"

Seta nodded. "End-stage terminal cancer. The doctors gave her six months. She's been holding on for almost a year. Hina wants to make her peace with you before she heads for the Great Unknown. I would never lie to you, Chris. You know that. Keitaro...the girls are already beyond redemption. Your grandmother is not. It's time for you to come home."

* * *

Hours later...

Cailyn found her husband inside their bedroom, seated on the edge of the bed. Their suitcases were packed for the trip back to Japan, their tickets already reserved.

"Chris?" Cailyn sat beside her husband. "What's wrong?"

Chris sighed. "I ran into Seta today," he began.

"Seta? You mean the Toudai professor, Noriyasu Seta? What did he want?"

"One: he married Haruka," Chris deadpanned. "Two: Hina's dying. She wants to see me, to bury the hatchet between us." Chris groaned. "I don't know what to do, Cailyn. Should I swallow my pride and visit Hinata...or do I ignore the fact that she is dying and not go to her?"

Cailyn bit her lower lip. "Chris...listen to me. You know my father's story? About how he decided to come to America and make a better life for himself rather than to in his own words 'follow the bullshit that is called family honor?'"

Chris nodded.

"I see him in you, what you're going through," Cailyn continued. "His family shunned him when he came here to better himself. They outright disowned him when he married my mother and refused to acknowledge my existence, calling me a 'half-breed,' 'bastard,' and 'whore-child.' When Jiji was at death's door, he tried to make peace with my father. Call it pride, but Papa refused to listen. He's been regretting his choice ever since."

She turned Chris's head so that he was looking at her. "Chris...go to the Hinata, and make peace with your family. Don't make the same mistakes my father has made. You have to admit that your family has suffered long enough, and has performed penance for their mistakes. I'll come with you, if it makes you feel better."

"Thank you," Chris replied.


	5. Coming Home

_**Part Four: Coming Home**_

Snafu's Notes: This is it, people. The moment of truth in Consequences. Will Chris Kurata bury the hatchet with Granny Hina...or will he bury the hatchet **in **Hina? Will he forgive the other girls, or leave them to their own personal hell? Oh, I also made some corrections and adjustments to the previous chapter.

A penthouse apartment, somewhere in Tokyo...

It was a lazy Saturday morning as Kaolla Suu was stretched out on her sofa, eating a banana as she channel-surfed, flipping the button on her remote, a bored look on her face.

In the nine years following the incident at the Hinata which ended with not only Keitaro abandoning his family and the dorm, but also with Hinata ordering the eviction of all of the girls once Hinata found out about their roles in driving her favorite grandson away.

Suu had not gotten away unscathed. Given her role in the incident, her father had found out from Hinata and was understandably upset at his daughter's actions. Amalla Suu wanted her father to remove Kaolla from the royal family, but not even the King of Molmol could not bear to disown his daughter, despite her crimes. Instead, he stripped her of her royal title of Princess of Molmol and exiled her from her home country. She could never step foot into Molmol ever again.

Despite this, Suu managed to make a life for herself while in Japan. She had graduated from high school at the age of fifteen and by the time she was nineteen, she ran her own business firm, Three Eye Enterprises. Thanks to the inventions she had created, particulary the fusion reactor and her stealth suits to various law enforcement entities in the United States and Japan, which made her an instant millionaire.

Despite her newfound fame and fortune, Suu still felt guilty in her role in driving Keitaro away. It was Motoko, who had bribed Suu with a bowl of bananas who asked Suu to create false papers in saying that Kitsune was pregnant...and that Keitaro was the father.

For nine years, Suu had long since regretted her decision in regards to the former Kanrinrin of the Hinata. After talking it over with Motoko, who was the caretaker of the Chiyoda Shrine, Suu decided to perform penance. Aside from being a famous inventor and businesswoman, Suu was quite the humanitarian, donating millions of dollars (as well as billions in Japanese yen) to various charities helping orphaned and exploited children.

Despite all of this, Suu's guilt never wavered. Penance wasn't enough. Because of her actions, with Naru as the ringleader, she had helped destroy a once close-knit family.

**Beep. Beep. Beep.**

Suu ignored the beeping as she continued to flip through the channels.

**Beep. Beep. Beep.**

The beeping was starting to drive her out of her mind. Muttering choice Molmolese curse words under her breath, the former princess soon tracked down the source of the beeping, which came from her closet, where several boxes of her belongings were stored.

Within seconds, one of the boxes was open and Suu found the item that was beeping.

It was shaped like Tama, the hot springs turtle that she had tried to consume on many an occasion back when she was a tenant at the Hinata. Aside from that, it was anything but.

Suu recognized the item immediately.

Her Keitaro Tracker.

Suu pressed a button, and a map of the city of Tokyo appeared on the screen. Soon, the map changed to that of Kanagawa Prefecture, more importantly, Hinata City.

A single red dot appeared on the screen. Next to it, were the words: **IDENTIFIED: KEITARO URASHIMA.**

From the look of things, Suu saw that he was heading in the direction of the Hinatasou.

Suu rushed out of the closet and bolted for her cellphone. Within minutes, she flipped it open and was dialing a number.

* * *

An apartment, several stories down, ten minutes earlier...

Knock-knock-knock.

Inside her bedroom, Mitsune Konno groaned underneath the covers. It was her day off and she wanted to sleep in...as well as sleep off the impending hangover.

In the nine years following the disaster at the Hinata, Kitsune's life had taken a downward spiral. After Haruka had thrown both her and Naru on their asses with the parting threat of bodily harm on the both of them should her nephew ended up in the morgue, Kitsune and Naru both left the town. While Kitsune was estranged from her own family, Naru's own family had outright disowned her once Haruka and Hina had notified them of Naru's misdeeds.

Kitsune, on the other hand had to start over from scratch. Of course being evicted from the place you considered home tends to leave one depressed, so she turned to her favorite drink – sake. Soon, another favorite past time had came to her: men.

Sake and men helped take the pain away, but it did not completely wash away the overwhelming guilt she had, given her role in destroying Keitaro's family.

Then one day, she found out she was pregnant. She didn't even know who the father was, nor did she want to raise the child, once she found out it was a boy. So she abandoned it while on a trip to Kyoto, left it on the porch of an orphanage, and never thought about her son ever again.

Seeing as how the person at her door was not going to give her any peace, Kitsune kicked off the covers showing that she was nude, her hair slightly longer than it was during her tenure at the Hinata. Bags were under her eyes, following a near all-night drinking binge with some of her co-workers. The former Fox of the Hinata had seen better days.

Kitsune grabbed some underclothes and a robe. Once she was properly dressed, she shambled out of her bedroom. Since Suu owned the building, she got a good deal.

Cursing under her breath, Kitsune walked over to her door. Looking into the peephole, she recognized the person on the other end and quickly unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door.

Standing in the hallway, was her longtime friend, Naru Narusegawa – formerly Naru Narusegawa. She was now Naru Sakata. But as Kitsune knew, her marriage was anything but pleasant.

"Kentaro knows you're here?" Kitsune asked.

"He's at work," her friend replied. "Can I come in?"

Kitsune allowed Naru to enter the room.

* * *

The two former tenants of Hinata House sat at the table, drinking tea and catching up on old times.

It was then Kitsune looked at the glasses that were on Naru's face, and immediately frowned. "What did he do to you this time?" Kitsune asked.

Naru shook her head. "It was nothing," she replied all too quickly. "It was my fault to begin with."

Kitsune's frowned deepened. Without warning, the fox's hand reached out and plucked the glasses of Naru's face, much to the redhead's dismay.

Kitsune gasped. Naru's face was bruised very badly. One eye was swollen while her lip had numerous cuts on them. If Kitsune was a betting woman, she would guess that Naru's body was also bruised from Kentaro's beatings.

"Oh, my God," Kitsune whispered at the sight of Kentaro's brutality towards her friend.

Naru snatched her glasses back and placed them on her face. "I told you it was my fault, Kitsune," she snapped. "Besides, it's really not that bad."

"'Not that bad?'" Kitsune repeated. "Naru, Kentaro is a two-timing asshole who likes to beat on you whenever you try and stand up to him. You should just divorce him and move on. Otherwise, you may not be as lucky the next time. You're not invincible, you know! You're not Kei..."

Kitsune's comment died on her tongue as she realized what she was about to say. But it was indeed true. The roles were now reversed, with Naru as the human punching bag and Kentaro as the abuser. Only difference was that Kentaro was more brutal than Naru could ever be.

Sad to say, Naru had nowhere else to go. She had just been thrown out of the Hinata for the crime of driving Keitato away, along with Motoko and the others. Her family wanted nothing to do with her and had cut off financial support, meaning that cram school and Toudai was out of the question.

Naru ended up working dead-end jobs for several years until Kentaro Sakata appeared, now an executive within his father's company. He offered Naru a better life.

So Naru married Kentaro.

It seemed like a perfect marriage, until one day...

* * *

[Flashback]

_A penthouse loft in downtown Tokyo, late night, three years earlier. _

_Upon entering his home, Kentaro Sakata saw that Naru was waiting for him in the living room, and she didn't look too happy. _

"_Where were you?" Naru demanded, arms folded. _

"_Out with some friends," Kentaro replied briskly as he tossed his briefcase in a chair as he passed Naru. _

"_You lie," Naru snarled as her hands balled into fists. "You saw **her** again, didn't you?"_

_'Her' in question was in fact Kentaro's secretary, Keikou Kuraiyama, who was three years younger than Naru. She had heard the rumors that her husband was a playboy, but she always concluded that the women were simply jealous of her good fortune._

_But following Keikou's arrival, Kentaro had been staying at the office more and more late nights. She had smelled the sake on his breath and notices more lipstick stains on his shirt collars._

_The final straw was when Naru went through Kentaro's PDA, and found several messages from Keikou to her husband...as well as from one of the female interns working for his company. _

"_I'm talking to you, Kentaro!" Naru shouted as she ran after her husband, who was nearly at their room. "Don't you turn your back on me, you bastard!"_

_**WHAM!**_

_Kentaro quickly spun around and Naru was sent flying across the room as Kentaro's fist impacted against her face. Before Naru could get back to a vertical base, Kentaro was dragging her to her feet by her hair before throwing her into the coffee table._

"_Never talk back to me!" Kentaro snapped as he got on top of Naru and slapped her hard across the face. "I am your husband! I run this household. You are nothing but a trophy wife!" He struck her again. "I own your ass now, Narusegawa, and you will respect and appreciate me!" Another slap to the face, followed by one hand to her throat, choking her. "Never question what I do, and know your place, or I will kick your ass again!"_

_Naru frantically nodded, her air cut off as she struggled to breathe. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she squeaked._

_Satisfied, Kentaro released her and stood up, his coughing wife still on the floor. "Clean up this mess," he ordered. "I'm going to bed. **You **can sleep on the couch."_

_He slammed the bedroom door behind him, leaving Naru alone._

[End Flashback]

* * *

Kitsune wasn't one for superstitions, but the way Kentaro treated Naru was similar to the way Naru treated Keitaro all those years earlier.

'Karma's a real bitch,' Kitsune thought, 'and she's back in heat. Can't say that we all deserve it for screwing Keitaro over.'

Kitsune's cellphone came to life, her ringtone being that of a popular J-pop tune. Deciding to cut Naru some slack for the time being, Kitsune picked up her phone and saw that it was Suu. Kitsune flipped the cellphone on and spoke. "What's up Suu?"

"He's back," Suu replied from the other end. "Keitaro's back in Japan."

"What?! Keitaro's back? Here?" Kitsune shouted, which drew Naru's attention as she tried to listen in.

"My old Keitaro Tracker went off, and I've confirmed it. He's on his way back to Kanagawa," Suu explained. "I've already contacted Motoko at the shrine and told her."

"Naru's with me," Kitsune said. "We're on our way to your place."

"Okay, bye."

Kitsune flipped the cellphone closed. Turning back to Naru, she saw that her hands were balled into fists and she was trembling.

"So...the bastard finally returns," Naru growled. Even now, she blamed Keitaro for her misfortunes when she should be blaming herself. If she couldn't pound on Kentaro without fear of reprisal, then she can sure as hell beat up on Keitaro, who she knew would take anything she threw at him like a bitch.

"I guess he must have found out about Hina dying," Kitsune replied. "And I guess the old woman wanted to make peace with him before she dies." She looked at Naru. "I know what you're thinking, Naru. You know as good as well that we can't get within 500 feet of the Hinata."

Naru fumed. She could wait. Keitaro didn't have a restraining order placed against her or the others. She will wait until after the old hag was buried.

And then, Keitaro will pay.

* * *

Hinata City - Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

Chris Kurata felt a bit of apprehension in coming back. At least his son was still in Seattle for another week, leaving only himself and Cailyn to face his past.

Nine long years and the town, famous for its hot springs had not changed. There were new faces, but all in all, the town remained the same.

Chris stopped walking when he reached the park where he had made his promise. The sandbox was still there, as he went on an impromptu trip down Memory Lane.

_"Did you know that if two people who love each other go to Tokyo University, they'll live happily ever after?"_

He remembered the promise...as well as the person who he made the promise to. **She **was the one who drove him away from the Hinata.

Chris scoffed to himself. 'Happily every after my ass.'

"Chris?" Cailyn's reassuring hand was on her husband's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Chris nodded, swallowing audibly. "Yeah...I'm fine." He gestured to the park. "This is the place where Narusegawa and myself made the promise to go to Toudai." He scoffed again. "A lot of good that did me."

They continued to walk in silence, until they reached the bottom of the stairs. Nine years ago, he had stormed down those same stairs in a blind rage, vowing never to return. Chris looked at the massive staircase with a bit of apprehension on his face.

"Cailyn...I don't know if I can do this," Chris muttered.

His wife placed a firm, yet reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Chris...you can do this," she said calmly. "You're sweating. Take a deep breath, and relax."

Chris did just that.

"Excuse me," a voice said from behind. "Can I help you?"

Chris and Cailyn turned around. Chris recognized her immediately. She had outgrown dressing like a Gothic Lolita, but her attire was still black.

"Kanako?"

Kanako Urashima's eyes narrowed. "How do you know my name?" she asked. Her eyes then widened as she realized who she was talking to. "Oniichan?"

Before Chris could say anything, he was enveloped in a world-class glomp. "ONIICHAN!!" Kanako cried out, not caring that she was threatening to break Chris's ribs. "ONIICHAN, YOU CAME BACK!"

Chris managed to pry Kanako from his torso. Turning to his wife, Chris started to say something before Cailyn simply nodded in understanding.

Once Kanako managed to get herself under control, she noticed Cailyn watching. "Who's she?" Kanako had asked.

"My wife, Cailyn Kurata," Chris replied. "Cailyn, this is Kanako Urashima."

Cailyn nodded in greeting. "Hello."

Kanako responded in kind before turning to Chris. "Keitaro, I am so, so sorry that I wasn't there to protect you from those harpies!" she said. "If I was there to defend you, then none of this would have happened!"

Chris silenced her with a raised hand. "It wasn't your fault, Kanako. I didn't blame you for what had happened. A lot has changed since I've left the Hinata. Even me. I no longer go by that name anymore. I haven't been Keitaro Urashima for nearly a decade. My name is Chris Kurata."

"But can I still call you oniichan?" Kanako asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

Chris sighed. Despite the fact that his stepsister had tried to bed him back during his tenure as the kanrinrin, he couldn't deny her anything, since she didn't believe the accusations that Naru and the others have said about him. He slowly nodded. "Yeah. I'll allow it. How is the old woman? Is she still alive?"

Kanako nodded. "Yes, but not for long. How did you know that Granny was dying?"

"Seta told me," Chris explained. "Both he and Haruka tracked me down and told me. Well, Seta did. I blew Haruka off when she first came to me. She figured out who I was."

"Where have you been?" Kanako asked as she, her estranged brother and his wife ascended the stairs. "I've looked for you for a long time, and couldn't find no trace of you."

"In America," Chris replied. "I'm an archaeologist now, Kanako. One of the best. I teach archaeology at Waseda University. Seta's told me that you run the Hinata now."

Kanako nodded. "I changed it from a girls' dorm to a bed-and-breakfast inn. After Granny threw those self-righteous whores out on their asses, she gave me the job of running the dorm."

"And Shinobu?"

"Granny relented on her judgment and allowed Shinobu back in." Kanako shook her head. "What she had been through...Not even I would wish that on my worst enemy...well, some of them, anyway. Hina and Haruka found her on the streets a little over a year ago, strung out on opium. She had been shooting up in order to forget what she had done to you. Granny took her back in."

"It wasn't her fault," Chris replied calmly. "I know that now. Motoko turned her against me."

Kanako nodded. "It took me a while to forgive her as well."

By this time, the three adults had arrived at the top of the stairway. There, in its glory, stood Hinata House. Once an all-girls dorm that housed some of the most violent women in the prefecture, it was now a quaint bed-and-breakfast inn, a popular tourist spot for those visiting Hinata City.

Cailyn let out a low whistle. "Wow. Nice place." Turning to Chris, she turned towards her husband. "And you used to run this place?"

Chris nodded. "It was my birthright until I abandoned it," he deadpanned. "All because I was a man. Forget the fact that I was related to the previous landlord, 'A man has no place inside an girls only dormitory.'"

"You don't have to worry about them, Oniichan," Kanako said. "Hina's placed restraining orders all of them. When Shinobu came back, she lifted hers." She then turned to Cailyn. "You're the manga artist, right?"

Cailyn nodded. "I am. Chris talked about you."

"He did?"

The blonde wife of Chris nodded. "He spoke very highly of you on several occasions."

Kanako blushed slightly as they reached the front door. Removing their shoes, Kanako slid the door open and stepped inside. Chris and Cailyn followed her.

The common room still looked the same as it has been all those years ago. He had been accused of an unspeakable crime in his family's eyes in this very room. That decision had led him to a new life.

As it has been nine years earlier, the room was full of people. People that Chris hadn't seen in nearly a decade. Mutsumi and Shirai...even Sara and Seta.

It was at that moment, that Shinobu Maehara entered the room, holding a tray of tea and snacks in her hands. Chris saw that she had matured the last time he saw her. Now twenty-two, she was a student at a popular culinary school, of which Hinata herself was paying for.

The tray fell to the floor, slipping its contents everywhere as Shinobu recognized Chris. "Sem...Sempai? Is that you?"

Chris simply nodded.

Without saying another word, and completely forgetting about the spilled snacks, Shinobu rushed over to Chris, who found himself in another bear hug, as Shinobu sobbed hysterically.

"Sempai...I'm sorry! I am so, so sorry!" she sobbed.

Slowly, Chris returned the hug. "It's not your fault, Shinobu," he replied calmly. He noticed that Sara had stood up. Unlike Shinobu, she had more control of her emotions as she gave Chris a more formal hug.

Chris looked at both girls and favored them with a small nod before turning to Shirai and Mutsumi. The former ronin had lost a lot of weight, thanks to having a wife who forced him to diet.

Their relationship had came to be some months after Chris's departure. Shirai and Mutsumi had ran into each other while attending Toudai and things took off from there. Mutsumi knew about Chris's new identity from her husband and promised to keep it a secret. Of course, for the past nine years, Chris and Mutsumi had kept in touch by sharing emails and pictures. Of course, Chris could not make it to the wedding, since he was away on an excavation. While Mutsumi continued to work at the teahouse, Shirai landed a nice government job with the Japanese government.

Regrettably, Haitani would not live to see his friends' success. In Chris's third year in America, Haitani was killed in a car accident, his killer sentenced to life imprisonment. Chris was allowed to return to Japan to attend the funeral.

Mutsumi embraced Chris. "Chris. You look great," she said. "I wish that this was under better circumstances."

"Me too," Chris replied.

"Chris. Looking good, man," Shirai said as he shook his friend's hand before giving Chris a brotherly hug. He turned to Cailyn. "Hi, Cailyn."

Cailyn smiled. "Hi, Shirai."

"So Haruka managed to talk you into coming back?" Shirai asked.

Chris shook his head. "Not Haruka. Seta did. Cailyn was also a factor in my coming back."

"Haruka and your father are upstairs with Hinata," Seta said. He then answered Chris's unspoken question. "Your mother is not with them. She hasn't been seen since your father divorced her."

"I thought you said he remarried," Chris said.

"Yuki is attending a business meeting in Okayama," Seta replied. "So what made you come?"

Chris tossed a glance towards his wife. "Cailyn was the deciding factor. She talked me into it. Thought it might do me some good to try and bury the hatchet."

"Haruka and your father are upstairs," Sara said, pointing to the stairway. "Granny's up there too. She doesn't have long. Go to her."

Chris nodded and silently ascended the stairs, with Cailyn following behind her.

* * *

Chris and Cailyn silently stepped into the kanrinrin's room, Chris silently sliding the shoji door behind his wife.

There, lying in her futon, was Hinata Urashima. The years had not been very kind on her following Chris's departure years earlier when he was known as Keitaro Urashima. Her hair had thinned out and her skin was deathly pale. Her breathing was labored and her eyes were closed.

Hinata was not alone. Also inside the room, was Haruka and her brother, Chris's estranged father. Haruka looked up and gasped upon seeing her estranged nephew and his wife in the same room. But eventhough Chris despised her, she was also glad to see that Seta had gotten through to Chris.

Shinoda recognized his former son immediately. Haruka and Seta had told him about the trip to Seattle, there they had discovered Chris's former identity.

Shinoda stood up. "Keitaro..."

Chris silenced the older man with a glare. "Leave us," he replied simply. "Both of you."

The way Chris had said it showed that he was in no mood to argue. Shinoda and Haruka left the kanrinrin's room without incident.

Hinata felt someone nearby and opened her eyes. Despite the years she had seen him last, she recognized her nephew. "Kei...Keitaro? Is that you?" she whispered.

Chris nodded.

Hina coughed violently for a moment before she managed to calm down.

"Save your strength, Hinata," Chris said softly. "You need to rest."

Hina saw that even after nine years, her estranged grandson still refused to call her 'Granny.' Not that she blamed him. The girls had put him through hell and she ended up taking their side when he needed her the most. She deserved his contempt.

"Keitaro, I am sorry," Hina rasped. "I am so...so sorry for not believing you. Because of my actions and my poor judgment, I had driven you away. I was too blind to see how the girls were treating you. It was my fault. All my fault..." Tears were appearing from her eyes. "I should have thought things through...no, all of us should have thought things through that night. The fault lies with all of us."

"..." Keitaro remained silent.

Hinata turned to Cailyn. "You're his wife?" she asked.

Cailyn nodded. "I am. It's a honor to finally meet you, Hinata-san. I just wished that it was under better circumstances."

"Me too," Hina replied. "You must be quite a woman to get Keitaro out of his shell. For that, I am grateful to you." she coughed again before turning back to Chris. "Keitaro...our family has been torn apart by lies. Only you can heal the scars left by Narusegawa, Aoyama and Konno when they driven you away from us. I should have been a better grandmother to you and should have stopped the abuse they had inflicted upon you." She sighed. "Keitaro...forgive me..."

Chris sighed. Hinata had poured her heart out in repentance for her crimes. Now, she was at Death's door and wanted to die with her soul at peace.

It was during the flight back to Japan that Cailyn had convinced her husband that Hinata was worthy of forgiveness, since she too was a victim of Naru and Kitsune's manipulation. Haruka, on the other hand, would take time, since she could have stopped the abuse, but simply stood aside as it happened. She even smacked Chris around when he called her Aunt.

"Chris, Hinata has suffered for nearly ten years," Cailyn had said diplomatically. "Despite your success as a scientist, you too have suffered. You need to reconnect with your family."

Chris sighed. He knew that his wife was right. Forgiving Hina would be the first step of redemption for the Urashima family...as well as for himself.

"I...I forgive you..." Chris whispered. "I forgive you...Granny."

Upon hearing those words, Hinata Urashima felt as if the Sword of Damocles has been lifted from her shoulders. It was as if she was her old self once again.

Hina smiled at her grandson and granddaughter-in-law, knowing that she was the factor in convincing her nephew. It was a smile that Chris hadn't seen in years. A genuine smile.

"Thank you, grandson," Hina whispered as she gently grasped his hand. "Thank you..."

Chris held his grandmother's hand as she shuddered, then relaxed, her eyes closed as she breathed her last.

Hinata Urashima was finally at peace.

* * *

The kanrinrin's shoji door opened and Chris and Cailyn stepped out, their expression a somber one. Outside, the rest of the family stood, waiting for news. Apparently, they had overheard the conversation and had heard Chris forgiving Hinata, allowing her to die in peace.

Chris looked at the others, and they automatically knew. Then his cool facade broke as he began to cry. Cailyn, ever the dutiful wife, embraced her husband as nine years of pent-up grief and sorrow was finally unleashed as he sobbed uncontrollably.

Everyone else was dealing with their grief at Hinata's passing. Shirai emulated Cailyn as he held Mutsumi as she cried. Kanako kept a straight face, but that did nothing as the tears ran down her face. Haruka and Seta held each other in their arms, Haruka sobbing softly. Shinobu was also crying, shedding tears for the woman who had given her a second chance. Sara slumped down to the floor, tears in her eyes as well.

Shinoda embraced his son and daughter-in-law as tears ran down his own face.

* * *

Hinata City, three days later...

News of Hinata Urashima's passing spread through the city like wildfire. Soon, the hot springs town offered their condolences to the Urashima clan and mourned with them, showing respect to a pillar of the community like Hinata. At Hinata's request, the funeral was considered to be a private affair, a traditional Shinto ceremony held inside the Hinata City Temple.

Only the Urashima clan were present, as well as Mutsumi, Shirai, Haitani, Sara, and Shinobu for the funeral ceremony. Even the heavens themselves mourned, as it had been raining on and off for most of the day. As per to Hinata's orders, the ashes of her husband, Ken Urashima were recovered and following the cremation of Hinata's body, her and Ken's ashes were placed inside a brand new urn, showing that in life, Ken and Hinata were inseparable. Now, they were united once again, this time in death.

Chris was also present at the funeral, along with his wife. He was dressed in a dark business suit, gray shirt and a black necktie. A pair of expensive shades (ala Resident Evil's Albert Wesker) covered his eyes. His wife was also dressed in a formal suit (think Mature's new get-up from KOF XII), and was there to support her husband.

Hinata Urashima's death had one advantage. Chris was slowly starting to reconnect with his estranged family. His mother was still M.I.A., but Chris could care less. She had the nerve to demand that he marry Kitsune and was also unfaithful to her husband in the process. Of course, as per to his request, everyone called him by his new name, since in effect, Keitaro Urashima was dead, never to return.

The urn was interred back into the Urashima family crypt upon reaching the cemetery. As Shinoda and Haruka performed the honors of interring the remains, Chris noticed four women watching the ceremony from a distance. A dark-skinned woman with blonde hair in a business suit. A redhead with an oversized pair of sunglasses on her face to cover the fresh bruises from her husband. A former kendoka now in the humble robes of a monk. And a former fox who looked liked she has seen better days.

Cailyn noticed her husband's left hand balled into a fist. "What is it?" she asked.

"It's them," Chris replied. "**They **are here."

* * *

From the graveyard's entrance, the four former residents of Hinata House watched Chris Kurata and his wife closely as Haruka and her brother returned the urn back into the grave.

In the days following Chris's return, Suu had done her research on Keitaro, now known as Chris Kurata, and had passed on what she knew about the former Toudai aspirant/former Hinata kanrinrin to the others. He was now a successful archaeologist, working as a professor at Waseda University. He was also happily married to a popular writer/manga artist (Kitsune and Sara has read her works), and was a father.

Not unlike the three elder girls, whose lives had turned a complete 180 degrees once their crimes against Keitaro had became known. Suu did not escape the maelstrom herself, since she was a willing participant in the scheme. The conspirators were basically persona non grata from Hinata City, for their crimes against their kanrinrin, whose grandmother was a respected member of the community.

Naru watched Chris and his wife. The fact that Chris had a loving family of his own while she was stuck with a womanizing wife-beater made her more than jealous of the reversal of fortune.

She was angry.

Angry that Keitaro had a good life, while her own life was nothing but a living hell for the past couple of years. Naru was angry that Keitaro had a loving and devoted wife ("She's not even a pure Japanese!" Naru had declared once she had found out about Cailyn's mixed heritage), while she was nothing more than a personal punching bag to Kentaro. And she was pissed that Keitaro for clearly being better than her.

This was more than Naru can stand. Her hands were balled into fists. If she can't beat down her husband, then she will unleash nine years of pent-up frustration and rage upon the former kanrinrin. And if is wife tries to step in, then she the worse for her.

* * *

The ceremony was complete. The remains of Hinata Urashima were finally put to rest.

As the Urashima clan headed for the exit, they saw the four former tenants of the Hinata standing at the gates. Three of them had looks of apprehension on their faces while the fourth looked pissed.

"Stand back," Chris said as Haruka and Seta stepped forward. "It's me they want."

Haruka and Seta both exchanged glances, worried for Chris's safety, but did as he asked. They remained behind, as did the others as Chris and Cailyn stepped forward to confront the demons from Chris's past.

When the Kuratas came within a double arm's reach, they both stopped.

"Keitaro, it's good to see you –"

Chris cut Kitsune off. "What do you want?" he demanded. "Haven't you done enough damage to myself and to my family?"

With the exception of Naru, the girls cringed.

"And I don't go by that name anymore," Chris continued. "You four killed Keitaro Urashima that night nine years ago. The Keitaro you knew is dead and gone. I am Chris Kurata."

Motoko stepped forward. "Ura...I mean, Kurata-kun," she began, "we all have made a terrible mistake in turning Elder Hina against you and forcing you out of the Hinata. We have come to you with great humility to ask for your forgiveness."

Suu nodded. "Yeah. We missed you, Keitaro."

Chris snorted as he looked at Naru. "Not everyone seems to miss me," he said, gesturing to Naru. "And I've told you before, it's Chris now. Not Keitaro, not Urashima, not Oniichan. All of you have lost the right to call me Keitaro for what you've done to me."

"You think you're so high and mighty, don't you, Keitaro?" Naru sneered. "Just because you're some bigshot archaeologist doesn't mean that you've changed. You're still the same perverted bastard you always has been." She then turned to Cailyn and cut her off when she tried to defend her husband. "This has nothing to do with you. Leave or else you'll get hurt."

Cailyn puffed at that. Her husband had his flaws, but he was a good man. "What you got to say in front of my husband you can say in front of me. We have no secrets, Narusegawa." Off Naru's shocked look, Cailyn continued. "You're just as Chris described you."

Naru scoffed. "Listen, you half-breed. This is between the bastard and me. Stay out of this."

Chris wasn't surprised at Naru's remark. Even now, she looked down on people who she thought were beneath her. "And you're still the same hyper-tempered, insecure, homicidal, self-righteous bitch I still remember. In a way, I'm glad that you four pulled that stunt which forced me to leave the Hinata. It made me grow up, and realize that I can have a life without you."

"YOU LITTLE –" Naru began, only to be restrained by Kitsune and Motoko. "This is your fault!" Naru accused as Motoko and Kitsune held her back. "All of this is your fault! You shouldn't have been the kanrinrin in the first place!"

"How is this my fault?" Chris retorted. "Ever since I was the kanrinrin, I gave my all to all of you, and what do I get in return? I get blackmailed, conned out of my money, a Naru-punch to the face and nearly hacked in two! All because I was a man! You want someone to blame, Narusegawa, blame yourself and your bipolar tendecies. All of you are to blame; Naru for turning my family against me; Motoko for filling Sara and Shinobu's head with lies, and Suu for creating false evidence."

"Chris, please," Kitsune pleaded. "We're sorry for what we have done to you. If any of us knew that you would just walk out the way you did, then none of us would have gone through with Naru's scheme."

"If you weren't such an alcoholic deadbeat, I might have believed you," Chris replied, making Kitsune shift uncontrollably. "I'm not as naïve as I once was, so save your apologies."

"Kurata-kun, please show some mercy," Motoko pleaded. "We all have suffered these past years."

"Apparently not enough," Chris sniped. "'The world would be better off without a spineless pervert like him.' Your words, Motoko, not mine. Why should I show you mercy? You sure as hell never offered me the same courtesy before you used me as target practice for your damned Shinmeiryu techniques."

Motoko looked down in shame. Chris was indeed right.

He turned to Suu. "And you, Kaolla. You went along with this scheme. Sara and Shinobu were easier to forgive because Motoko manipulated them. You took it a step further and forged false papers in regards to Kitsune's 'pregnancy.' That makes you just as bad as those three. You came here, begging for my forgiveness after what you have done to me. Doesn't feel too good, doesn't it, now that the tables are turned. Only difference is that I have none to give. I've used it all on forgiving my family. I don't trust any one of you, and I will never, **ever** forget what you did. You will get neither forgiveness nor sympathy from me. The four of you are beyond forgiveness. As far as I'm concerned, I never want to see any of you again."

Chris then exited the graveyard with his wife by his side.

Kitsune, Suu and Motoko's eyes were filled with shame as Chris's words hit home. He was right on all accounts. Naru, on the other hand...

"YOU BASTARD! DIE!"

Naru charged at Chris and his wife, fists raised, preparing to pound Keitaro's skull into powder.

"NARU NO!" Kitsune, Suu and Motoko screamed.

Naru let her fist fly...

...only to be intercepted by Cailyn's hand, catching the fist in her hand, before retaliating with an Uppercut from Hell that sent Naru flying.

Chris Kurata was never one to strike a girl. He left that to his wife, who had fifteen years' experience in karate and was a former martial arts champion.

Naru landed on her back hard, the glasses flying off her face and into the gutter. Shrugging off help from Motoko, Kitsune and Suu, Naru faced the smug halvsie karateka.

"You tried to strike my husband from behind," Cailyn drawled. "That, along with you calling me a half-breed, is something that I cannot forgive, Narusegawa. Let's see how you fight against someone who fights back."

"YOU BITCH!" Naru screamed as she charged. "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

The next five minutes were that of divine retribution for Chris Kurata as he watched his wife pummel Naru into submission. It wasn't even a fair match. One particulary hard blow to the stomach made Naru lose her lunch. Kitsune, Motoko and Suu watched helplessly as their friend was brutally taken apart by Cailyn. Motoko no longer practiced kendo and Suu would be threatened with deportation should she assault someone else.

After five minutes of giving Naru fresh bruises and a sore jaw, Cailyn had Naru pinned on the sidewalk, facedown, her knee in the back of Naru's neck, one of Naru's arms wrenched painfully behind her in a pretty nasty arm hold.

A.N.: If any of you played Resident Evil 5, Cailyn has Naru in the same move Evil Jill used on Chris.

Cailyn wrenched Naru's arm further, making the battered woman scream in pain.

"Yeah, you're my bitch now!" Cailyn snarled as she continued to apply pressure to the hold. "How does it feel to be victimized, Narusegawa?!"

Meanwhile, Seta nudged Chris. "Isn't she enjoying this a bit too much?" the older man asked.

Chris nodded. "Yup. But it's fun to watch."

"Uncle!" Naru screamed as Cailyn continued to twist her arm. "UNCLE!"

Cailyn relented and released her hold on Naru. Glaring at her husband's former tenant, she said, "Cross me again, and I'll have to get even more nasty with you, Narusegawa."

Naru just glared at the woman who just trounced her without breaking a sweat.

"All that hatred...I almost pity you, Narusegawa," Cailyn continued. "You became so damn bitter that there is nothing left inside of you but contempt. Even now, you blame my husband for your troubles when you should be blaming yourself. Your hate towards Chris, solely because he was a male, and despite the fact that he was Hinata's grandson you took advantage of that fact. You took advantage of the fact that he loved you and what did you do? You manipulated him. You manipulated his family. Those who tread the path of evil will eventually face judgment, either in this life or in the next."

"You don't know me," Naru snarled. "You have no fucking idea what you are talking about, you little half-breed slut!"

Cailyn's eyes narrowed. "You're right. I don't know you. But I know **of **you, Narusegawa. You're just as how Chris pegged you – hyper-tempered, insecure, homicidal, self-righteous and I can add bigot to the list. I may be half-Japanese, but I'm not like you." she smiled evilly. "You just don't like the fact that Chris is better than you. He has his flaws, but I love him. You are nothing but a spoiled little bitch who needs to get off her high horse and see that the entire world does not revolve around you. No wonder your family wants nothing to do with you."

Naru was seeing red. Common sense was in short supply as Naru charged, hands raised to choke the life out of the half-breed whore that dared to show her up.

**CRACK!**

Naru was sent flying back as Cailyn's feet made contact with her jaw, the latter performing a textbook-perfect backflip, planting both of her feet into Naru's jaw.

This time, Naru wasn't getting up. She was out cold.

Cailyn in the meantime, has landed on her feet. "And that's that," she said. "Normally, if someone insulted my heritage, I would have sent them to the ICU. But I felt sorry for her, so I went easy on her."

"Easy, you say?" Suu shouted. "Naru's out cold!"

Cailyn sniffed. "That was just an appetizer. Now what would happen if I took off the kid gloves and gotten nasty?"

As she went back to her husband's side, Chris had some parting words for the former tenants. "Don't come back. Ever. I never want to see any of you again."

With that said, Chris Kurata left the four former tenants on the streets to wallow in their misery.

He never saw them again.

Snafu's Notes: I promised myself that I would wrap this chapter up before I headed for Anime Weekend Atlanta and I delivered. I've also been getting some PM's about what Keitaro had been doing in the nine years since he was in America, so if anyone wants to write that, PM me and let me know. I will complete the story by finishing up the Epilogue as soon as possible.


	6. The Grand Finale

_**Epilogue: The Grand Finale**_

Snafu's Notes: There's an Indiana Jones and God of War reference in this chapter. Some of the characters are going to die, so don't flame me for that.

A month had passed since Hinata Urashima had been laid to rest.

A month had passed since the explosive confrontation between Chris Kurata and the former residents of the Hinata...well, between Chris Kurata and the former Naru Narusegawa.

Since the funeral, Chris – at Cailyn's request – had been slowly reconnecting with his former family, slowly, but surely healing the rift created nine years earlier by the machinations of the former tenants of Hinata House. It had been hard, given the fact that Chris had plenty of bad memories from his days as the kanrinrin, but Cailyn was there, supporting him as he slowly but surely repaired the broken bridges between himself and his family.

As for the former tenants of Hinata House, all of their hops had been dashed. There would be no forgiveness from Chris Kurata. He had all but thrown their apologies back in their faces. Naru, Motoko, Kitsune, and Suu were beyond all hope.

They were all damned.

* * *

Motoko was the first to reach her own point of no return.

After the confrontation with Chris and his wife, she had returned to her duties as the Chiyoda Shrine caretaker. Chris's words continued to haunt her as the memories of her attacking the former kanrinrin came back in full force. Memories she had thought she had all but submerged. Motoko had placed all of her hopes in obtaining absolution from her crimes in the form of Chris's forgiveness, and her hopes were completely dashed.

Meditation did not work. Chanting mantras did not work. Not even confessing her past crimes to the Akasaka monastery's high abbot did nothing to stave off the guilt.

So she left the shrine to several of the other nuns and decided to go on a journey to pray for not only for her own soul, but those of her co-conspirators.

No matter what had happened, Motoko was still haunted by her past deeds.

_"Vile male! Hiken Zankuusen!"_

_"Die male scum! Hiken Zankuusen!"_

_"Hiken Zankuusen!"_

_"Hiken Zankuusen!"_

Soon, it became too much to bear. There was only one way out for her.

She headed for Kyoto.

* * *

The Shinmeiryu Kendo School had weathered the disgrace that Motoko had brought upon it pretty well. Despite losing a number of students, the school was still one of the more popular kendo schools in the city, with Tsuruko and her husband at the helm.

It was, however, not ready for the final return of the one formerly known as Motoko Aoyama.

In the nine years following the Hinata Incident, Tsuruko and Ryuji had welcomed a son into the world. A son who would be the future heir of the Shinmeiryu Kendo School. Thankfully, young Shinji was away at school when his disgraced aunt made her appearance at his parents' dojo.

It was during the middle of class that a monk stepped into the training hall. Her sandals had all but worn off, the feet bloody from walking barefoot. The robes themselves were tattered and torn, the young woman's face covered in dirt. The staff she used to carry was long since gone, destroyed while on the open road. Her eyes held a defeated, withdrawn, and in some cases, a haunted look to them, as if she was resigned to her damnation.

Tsuruko recognized her immediately. In a flash, her katana was drawn. "You dishonor this dojo with your presence. I told you once before, dishonored one, I want nothing to do with you. Your actions have all but stained the good name of the Gods' Cry School."

Of course the students know about the history between the elder Aoyama and her former sister, whose actions nine years prior had all but nearly brought the Shinmeiryu to its knees, which is why the students had all but surrounded Motoko, each student armed with any weapon they had on hand – bokkens, shinais, staffs, whatever was nearby. Even Ryuji had his sword drawn, watching Motoko with a wary eye.

Motoko said nothing. Instead, the steel tanto that had slid into her remaining good hand did the talking for her. Before Tsuruko could do anything, Motoko turned the blade inward and thrusted the blade into her own body, her screams echoing throughout the dojo as she buried the blade deep to the hilt. Her legs gave way as she fell to the ground as the students watched in complete horror.

The wound itself was mortal. Within seconds, Motoko had bled out in the middle of the dojo floor. Tsuruko watched the entire scene with an emotionless expression on her face. She had long since closed the chapter on her relationship with her former sister. This person who had committed suicide in the middle of the dojo floor was nothing but a stranger to her.

One of the students noticed something sticking out of Motoko's robes. Upon further inspection, it turned out to be a suicide note. The student handed it to Tsuruko, who unfolded it and read it.

_**I wasn't worth the dust beneath his feet. He was something better.**_

Tsuruko knew that Motoko was talking about Keitaro. She had found out from Haruka that he had returned and had made his peace with his former family before Hina had died. But it was too late for Motoko.

The police was called and Motoko's body was taken away. Since Tsuruko had long since disowned her, Motoko was buried in a lonely plot inside Kyoto Cemetery, the place reserved for the disgraced, the ronins and the burakumin. The blood that Motoko had spilled was cleaned up, the dojo sanctified and blessed by a Shinto priest and by the following day, the Shinmeiryu was back in business, the incident now forgotten.

* * *

When Suu discovered that Motoko was gone from the shrine, she had used her connections within the Japanese law enforcement community to try and track down her longtime friend.

Sure enough, Motoko's trail led her to Kyoto. Tsuruko was of no help, since the kendo mistress also despised the former Molmolian princess so she turned to the police, who gave her the bad news. Suu was devastated as she heard about Motoko's suicide.

Her heart broken over the loss, Suu decided to move her business out of Tokyo and relocate to Osaka. Within the year, she would sell off her business and retire to a life of solitude and privacy in America, never to step foot on Japanese soil again. Suu would simply fade into obscurity as she settled in Hawaii.

Within the month, Mitsune Konno would be dead.

Following Chris's cruel refusal and damnation, Kitsune simply stopped caring about anything. Upon hearing about Motoko's death from Suu, Kitsune was crushed. She drowned her sorrows in more sake and more men, spreading her legs for anyone willing to pay her bar tab (thus, making Chris' original comments about her true). Men and alcohol took the pain away, if only temporary.

Mitsune's body would be found by the cleaning service that Suu had on call to clean the building. She was found naked in her bed, face up, vomit seeping from around her mouth. Her death was ruled as accidental, seeing as she had choked on her own vomit. The guy she was with at the time was cleared of all charges and was released.

* * *

Tokyo – Chiyoda District, two months later...

"I wish Sempai could have come to dinner with us," Shinobu said as the gathered Urashima clan – as well as the Kurata family – sat at a large table inside a posh Japanese restaurant. Kanako was absent, as was Chris's parents, since they had other engagements to keep, but offered their congratulations to the aspiring young chef.

Cailyn nodded. "Me too, Shinobu, but he was called away on urgent business several days ago. He sends his regards to you for not making it to your graduation dinner. He should be back later on tonight."

Shinobu nodded. "I understand that his job is demanding. How do you deal with it?"

"By supporting him," Cailyn replied as her son and Haruka's son were busy stuffing their faces. "About a year ago, I accompanied him on one of his excavation trips to India with one of his former students."

What Cailyn didn't mention was that Chris had ended up helping a village whose children had been kidnapped and whose sacred stone had been stolen. Chris had uncovered a once-abandoned cult who specializes in human sacrifice (she herself was a near victim until her husband rescued her).

Of course, Mola Ram had sent his minions after them after Chris had swiped the stones and freed the children, which led to the final confrontation on a severed bridge. Rather than use the incantation to heat up the stones, Chris took a more physical choice of action by grabbing the Thuggee high priest by the back of his robes and bashing Mola Ram into the cliff's face several times before flinging him off into the crocodile-infested waters below, and returned the Sankara Stones back to the village.

Little did they know that the evening was going to be ruined by an unwanted visitor.

Cailyn's martial arts senses went into overdrive as she moved out of the way...

...just as Naru struck nothing but air as she swung the serving tray at the ares where Cailyn's head was at seconds earlier.

In truth, Naru had stumbled onto the family by accident. She had suspected that Kentaro was off gallivating with his mistress and wanted to catch them at the restaurant she was currently at. Kitsune – shortly before her death – had suggested to her that if she had concrete proof that Kentaro was cheating on her, then she could take everything – or at least half – in the divorce.

Too bad that Kentaro and Keikou had decided to order some takeout instead.

Disappointed that Kentaro wasn't there, Naru turned to leave, only to notice the Urashima clan and Cailyn Kurata at a table, having dinner. The memories of what had happened following the burial of Hinata Urashima was still burning bright in Naru's mind as she yanked a serving tray from a passing waiter, and swung at the back of Cailyn's blonde head...

..only to miss.

Unfortunately, Naru's wild swing had missed Chris, Jr. by scant inches.

This was something that Cailyn could not forgive. Naru had nearly nailed her son. Hell hath no fury like a mother protecting her child, and Naru was going to find out that it was ill-advised to piss Cailyn Kurata off.

The ensuing fight was one-sided...and incredibly brutal. Brutal in the case that Cailyn had bashed Naru repeatedly over several tables and broke several plates over her head for good measure. Only because that there were young children present, did Cailyn relent on sending Naru on a trip to the hospital.

The police were then called to the scene, Cailyn and Haruka sending their children back to the Hinata with Shinobu. Before the cops could arrest Naru, she made a break for it.

"Stop her!" one of the cops shouted as Naru knocked a waitress to the side and ran through the door.

Unfortunately, she didn't get very far.

It was something that not even the Urashima clan would not wish on their worst enemy. As Naru dashed across the street, she didn't see the delivery truck coming. The driver had saw her and attempted to stop, but it was too late.

The last thing Naru had seen was the truck's headlights. Then eternal darkness.

Cailyn and the gathered Urashima family turned from the gruesome sight as the truck struck Naru dead-on, the impact literally breaking every bone in her body. Death was instant.

* * *

Kentaro was notified of his wife's death. He had put on an Oscar-worthy performance of acting like the grieving husband. But once the police were gone, he dropped the act.

"At least this saves me on the divorce," Kentaro had mused to his mistress.

By the end of the month, Kentaro had remarried. This time, he had married his mistress. Surprisingly enough, Kentaro had treated Keikou a lot better than he did with Naru. In fact, the only reason why he married Naru in the first place was to meet a condition his father had placed on him. In order to inherit the company, he had to be married by the age of thirty. With that condition met when he married Naru, Kentaro was given control of Sakata Industries.

No one would know about the abuse that Kentaro had put Naru through. Not even his new wife.

When it came time for the funeral, Kentaro decided to have her buried not in the Sakata family plot, but like Motoko, in a lonely, secluded part of the graveyard, her actions proving to be quite dishonorable to the Sakata family name.

* * *

Chris returned to Japan later that night, where he was notified by Haruka about Naru's attack on his family as well as her fate. His response was just three words: "Serves her right."

Following the funeral, Sakata Industries had given the Kurata family a sizable check as a way of apologizing for Naru's actions. Chris had simply accepted it, then turned around and donated the 30 million yen check to charity. He may not have liked Naru, but he was no big fan of Kentaro either, and he decided that the cash would be put to better use. After a quick search he found what he was looking for – a charity that helped out missing and exploited children.

Soon, things went back to normal for Chris Kurata and his family. It would take some time, but he would come to trust the Urashima clan once again, with his wife acting as his support. That trust would not be the same as it had been a decade earlier, but it would change over time.

As Chris found out, Cailyn was right about making amends with his former family. It sure did lift the burden off of his shoulders and he felt much more relieved.

In a way, Chris Kurata had achieved his own personal redemption solely by learning how to simply forgive himself.

**END**


	7. Alt Ending

_**Alternative Ending**_

Snafu's NOtes: Now what would happen if Hina and the Urashimas decided to scheme against Keitaro? How would that play out with Naru and Motoko's own plot?

Hinata House, three days earlier.

"WHAT?" Keitaro shouted as the news was dropped in his lap.

"You heard right, you pervert," Naru snapped, playing the role of the enraged tenant to the fullest. "You got Kitsune pregnant after you got her drunk!"

"Naru, calm down," Hina said, acting as the voice of reason. Turning to Keitaro, Hina looked at her grandson, disappointment evident on her face. "Keitaro...words cannot tell you about how disappointed I am. You abused your authority as the landlord." She looked at Kitsune, who was doing a very good job of acting as a woman under duress. "Miss Konno may have fallen on hard times, but that does not give you the right to force her to use her body to pay the rent."

"That's not true!" Keitaro objected. "SHE blackmails ME to keep from paying rent! On top of that she drained my life savings with her booze binges! I haven't even touched her!"

"Are you calling Hina a liar?" Motoko asked, her voice dangerous, her hand inching for the handle of her sword.

"Motoko, calm," Hina ordered. Once the kendoka backed off, Hina turned to her grandson. "There is only one way we can deal with this situation, Keitaro. You must marry Mitsune by the end of this week, and give her equal standing as landlord of the dorms."

"You're joking, right?" Keitaro replied. "If anything, she would make the dorms bankrupt with her drinking and gambling. I swear on the bones of Grandpa Urashima that I am innocent." He looked at the three elder girls of the dorm. "Ever since I showed up, they tried everything to run me out of the dorms. 'A male cannot run an all-girls dormitory,'" he said, mocking Motoko.

"Keitaro," Kitsune sobbed, "why are you doing this to me? I only want what's best for our child..."

"Nephew," Haruka drawled, "you need to do what's right and marry Kitsune."

"Haruka's right, Keitaro," Keitaro's mother said. "You have dishonored our family by not making it into Toudai not once, but three times. By refusing to take responsibility for your child - my grandchild - you are tarnishing our family name even more."

Keitaro's patience was wearing very thin. "Is anyone listening to me?" he half-shouted. "I did not get Kitsune drunk, nor did I take advantage of her! How many times do I have to spell it out for you people?"

"Just admit that you slept with Kitsune, Keitaro," Naru snapped. "Admit it and accept responsibility!"

Keitaro spun on the hyper-tempered redhead. "I wasn't speaking to you, Narusegawa," he replied, his voice taking on a steely hardness. "Do me a favor and shut up."

"YOU LITTLE - " Naru began, only to be restrained by Haruka and Motoko.

Hina sighed. "Keitaro, I love you as if you were my son," she said, "but you have to take responsibility for your actions. You took advantage of Mitsune while in her drunken state. She is pregnant with your child."

"But Granny - " Keitaro began.

"Do not interrupt me," Hina snapped. "You have two choices - either marry Mitsune...or surrender the deed to Hinata House and resign as manager."

Keitaro's blood was boiling. No one in his family believed him. Not even his parents or Haruka. The biggest betrayal was from Hina herself. Surely she would be the one to see reason, but it was no use. Keitaro had his back up against the wall.

He should have seen this sooner. None of the girls really cared for him. His Aunt had left him out to dry, as did his parents. And Hina...

"Keitaro, what is your decision?"

Hina's voice broke Keitaro out of his reverie. He leveled his gaze on his grandmother. The one person that he could count on to stand by his side, was siding with the girls.

"You can have this damned place for all I care," Keitaro stated flatly. "I quit. I would rather slit my own throat rather than be the whipping boy and scapegoat for a group of self-righteous, man-hating bitches for eternity." He glared at Kitusne, who squirmed under his glare. "And if you think I actually got that drunken, blackmailing whore pregnant, then all of you need to get your heads examined."

"Keitaro!" Hina admonished.

Naru and Kitsune both exchanged glances. This DEFINTELY was not part of the plan. By this time, Keitaro would have kowtowed to his family's demands. What they DID NOT know was that with every Naru-punch, Shimmeiryu ki-attack, and every con they had put Keitaro through, his trust towards the girls had went down to the point that he no longer trusted them.

And now, this little stunt of the three conspirators had pushed Keitaro over the edge, the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.

"How dare you, Urashima!" Motoko shouted, reaching for her sword. "Apologize to Kitsune if you know what's good for you!"

"Piss off, kendo girl," was Keitaro's reply. When it looked like Motoko was going to attack Keitaro, he pulled out his trump card. "I got your sister's number on speed dial on my cellphone. Don't give me a reason to use it," he threatened. "Unless you want your precious kendo school to lose face when I give Tsuruko all of the details on how you assaulted an innocent man, then you better sit down and shut up, you samurai wannabe."

Keitaro's threat had gotten through to Motoko, who backed off. The last thing she needed was her sister, the 'Demon Blade of Kyoto,' Tsuruko Aoyama, at the Hinata's doorstep.

"Keitaro Urashima!" his mother barked out. "You will marry this girl, whether you like it or not! If you don't then I will disown you where you stand!"

Naru and Kitsune both exchanged glances. This was getting out of hand. They wanted Keitaro gone, not this.

Hina tried to diffuse the explosive situation between her daughter-in-law and her grandson. "Now, wait a moment! Keitaro, everyone please calm down before someone says something that can't be taken back!"

Keitaro leveled a cold glare at his mother before turning on his heels and storming towards the front door.

Hina tried to stop him. "Keitaro, wait!"

Keitaro had reached the front door, Without turning around, he addressed his grandmother. "We have nothing else to discuss, Hinata Urashima." The cold formality that Keitaro used to address the matriarch of the Urashima family surprised even the three co-conspirators, as Hina stepped back as if she was slapped.

"I told you that I was innocent, that I did not have sex with Kitsune," Keitaro continued. "It's not my fault that she is an alcoholic sleaze who is one step away from spreading her legs to the first man who would pay her bar tab." He turned to the three girls. "My congratulations to the three of you. You got me out of the Hinata, but my resignation comes with a heavy price."

The ronin turned to his family, anger evident on his face. When he spoke, his voice was ice-cold. "You took their side over mine. In any case, that makes you no better than them."

"Keitaro..." Hina began.

"Save it," he snapped. "You just lost a grandson. I want nothing more to do with this place, I want nothing to do with the Urashima name, and I want nothing to do with you. As far as I'm concerned, I never want to see any of you ever again. I hate you all."

The tone was calm, but the anger in his voice was evident, as it chilled the offending party to the bone. Keitaro then departed from the house, slamming the door behind him, leaving his family and the three girls in a state of shock as what Keitaro had done finally settled in.

Keitaro had renounced his family name, effectively making himself ronin.

Hina managed to shake herself out of her stupor and ran after her grandson. "Keitaro! Keitaro, wait!"

"Keitaro!" Haruka shouted. "Keitaro, stop! Please!"

Keitaro ignored them as he continued to walk down the stairs, ignoring the calls and cries of his now-former grandmother and aunt.

Soon, he was gone.

Hina sank to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, while Haruka and her elder brother tried to console her, but with no success.

Naru, Kitsune and Motoko had watched the entire debacle play out. So far, everything had gone according to plan...until Keitaro renounced his family name and left the apartments in a rage.

All three girls were thinking the same thing, as their realized that their scheme had backfired in the most extreme way: 'What have we done?'

* * *

Keitaro continued to storm through the city streets. He suspected that Naru and the others would try something like this, but he never suspected that Hina and his family would betray him.

'No, wait...I knew that the old bag and my family wanted me out of the clan for some time now,' he thought. 'Thank god that Kanako is on my side.'

It was indeed true. Keitaro was already on thin ice with flunking the Toudai exams three times in a row. He knew that Hina never really cared for him, which explains why he was stuck with the Hinata. His family was deliberately waiting for him to screw up so that they could eject him from the clan roster.

'They are all going to pay,' Keitaro thought darkly as he pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number.

Unbeknownst to the girls, Keitaro had planned for something like this. And now, it was time to execute his plan.

"Suzuhara." The deep male voice spoke on the other end.

"It's time," Keitaro simply spoke into his cellphone. "Proceed with the plan."

"So those whores finally made their move, eh?"

"Yes. My family was even willing to disown me as well. All of them will pay for this treachery. Wait three days, then head for Hinata City."

"Understood," the older male replied before cutting the call.

* * *

Three days had passed since the explosive confrontation inside the Hinata Apartments.

Since then, Keitaro Urashima was not seen anywhere in the town or at the cram school where he was studying for the next entrance exams.

Hina and Haruka found out later that Keitaro had withdrew from the school. Haitani and Shirai, Keitaro's friends were of no help either. Keitaro had told them everything and that he was leaving Tokyo as a result of this betrayal, which explained their open hostility towards Haruka and Hina when they questioned the two ronins.

Haruka suspected that they knew where Keitaro was and threatened bodily harm if they did not tell her where her nephew was hiding. Haitani and Shirai raised Haruka's threat by threatening to call the police unless they left their apartment. Only when Shirai had the police on the line did the two Urashima women realized that the two were not bluffing and left without any further incident.

To make matters worse, Kanako had vanished following her release from the hospital. She had called once, berating her adopted family, telling them how disappointed she was in them, and that she renounced the Urashima name on the spot. Hina was beside herself with grief. She had lost both grandchildren within the week. It took the loss of both Keitaro and Kanako to realize that maybe her plans to eject her grandson from the clan for his shortcomings were coming back to haunt her.

* * *

Hinata House, later on...

Dinner was a strained affair. At least, for Hina, who had refused to leave her room following her and Haruka's return from Haitani and Shirai's apartment.

Naru and Motoko were pleased with their actions. Keitaro was gone. Kitsune was slightly worried that their scheme would become undone, should Haruka and Hina discover that she wasn't pregnant, and that they had driven Keitaro out of the Hinata soley on a lie.

Unfortunately, the elder tenants' satisfaction in driving off their landlord was not going to last.

Following dinner, Kitsune was lounging on the couch, watching the horse races when there was a knock at the door. It was Shinobu, who had brought Kitsune a cup of herbal tea to help with her 'pregnancy,' that answered the door.

The young girl took several steps back as the well-dressed man stepped into the common room, accompanied by two men and a woman. The first man looked to be in his early forties, looking like a Japanese version of the actor Kevin McKidd.

Kitsune felt a growing sense of dread creep into her gut as she assumed a sitting position. "Who are you?" she asked, sending Shinobu to fetch Hina, as well as Naru and Motoko, just in case.

"Tsukune Suzuhara," the man introduced himself. "Loan officer for the Kanagawa National Bank." He gestured to the three people accompanying him. "These three are with me." He looked around the place. "Nice place. I'm sure that this will fetch a nice price for the foreclosure auction."

"WHAT?" Kitsune yelled out, just as the rest of the Hinata honies came down the stairs, along with Haruka and Hina.

"What's going on?" Haruka demanded.

"Which one of you is Hinata Urashima?" Suzuhara asked, getting straight to the point.

Hina stepped forward. "I am."

Suzuhara pulled out a folded document from his jacket pocket. "Three months ago, the former kanrinrin – your former grandson – had taken out a 4,000,000 yen loan from Kanagawa National Bank, to pay for the damages and upkeep for this establishment. He placed not only this building as collateral, but the annex, as well as the Hinata Teahouse."

Hina swallowed audibly. "Keitaro did what?"

"That baka pervert did what?" Naru screeched.

Suzuhara ignored the outburst. "The loan was made under the condition that Keitaro would continue to act as kanrinrin to Hinata House. I have received word that he is no longer the owner and landlord of this establishment, which means his loans are now as of this moment, forfeit. As per to the conditions of the agreement, the properties in question are to be placed on the auction block three days from now in order to pay for the loan." He unfolded the sheet of paper. "The total, adding the interest, late fees, and not reimbursing the bank immediately...comes to 10.5 million yen."

Hina looked like she was about to have a coronary. "Oh, Gods..."

Motoko quickly sprang into action. She did not see the loan officer as a person of authority, as did Naru.

She only saw him as a man. A man flouting his authority over women, despite the fact that there was a woman as part of his entourage.

In a flash, Motoko had her sword drawn, while Naru balled her hands into fists. "You vile male! You are not welcome here! Leave this place now!"

"Yeah!" Naru added. "Get the hell out or else we'll throw you out!"

Suzuhara scoffed. "Please...like you two can do anything against me. Sit down and shut up."

Motoko charged, followed by Naru. "Shinmmei-ryuu...Hiken Zankuu –"

**BLAM!**

**PING!**

Motoko's blade was blasted cleanly in two, while Naru skidded to a halt. The reason being was the fact that the two men and the one woman that had accompanied Suzuhara had their guns drawn. Two red dots danced on Motoko's chest, while one rested over Naru's heart.

Suu, Sara and Shinobu were smart enough to get the Hell out of Dodge when they saw Motoko's blade shot in two. Haruka decided to stay put.

The woman who had her gun leveled at Naru spoke in a low, cold voice. "Don't move. Both of you. Don't even breathe."

Suzuhara chuckled softly, slightly amused at Motoko's and Naru's attempts to eject him from the dorm. "Object lesson: never bring a sword and your bare hands to a gun fight. Especially when facing off against three members of Japan's Special Assault Team," he remarked. "Oh, yes, Keitaro told me about your charges and their male complexes, as well as the repeated assaults on his person. Which is why these three are accompanying me." He gestured to the female SAT member. "She's my sister-in-law, by the way."

His pleasant expression then changed to that of being completely cold. "Elder Urashima," Suzuhara began, looking down at the distraught woman, "please get your two charges under control...because the next time they try to attack me, my friends here will shoot. Then you will have to explain to their family why they had to bury their loved ones."

Hina slowly nodded. "Naru...Motoko...sit down."

The hyper-tempered redhead and the kendoka did as they were told, anger still evident on Naru's face while shock reigned on Motoko's. A nod from Suzuhara, and the three agents lowered their weapons, but they did not holster them.

Suzuhara placed the documents on the table. "You have one week to settle your affairs. I am, however giving you a chance to save your home and business. If Keitaro decides to return as manager, then I will stop the foreclosure process. If not...then I suggest that all of you treasure these moments, because they will be your last. Do have a good day."

Suzuhara turned and departed the dorm without further incident, followed by the three SAT agents.

* * *

Later on that night, a emergency council meeting was held between the three elder tenants of Hinata House. Actually, it was between Naru and Kitsune, since Motoko sat in silence, still in shock in regards to her destroyed sword. Haruka was tending to Hina, while at the same time, telling her brother and sister-in-law about the recent developments.

"Naru, this scheme of yours has backfired!" Kitsune whispered harshly. "Please tell me you have something planned for this!"

Naru's expression remained firm. "Look, I don't know who that guy was, but he's bluffing. Keitaro's bluffing. There's no way that a spineless little pervert like him could have planned something this big! He's failed the Toudai entrance exam three times, Kitsune!"

Kitsune scoffed. "Pretty big talk for someone who flunked the exams herself," she snarled. "We just tore apart a close-knit family, Naru! All because of what, Hina placed her grandson as the kanrinrin? And even if we did tell them what happened, what then? The damage is too great, Naru. Keitaro will never trust Haruka or Granny Hina again! When and if they find out that we've screwed Keitaro over, Haruka's gonna kill us!"

"Kitsune, calm down," Naru said. "Look, we'll just say that you decided not to keep the baby, or that you decided to put it up for adoption. No harm, no foul. Keitaro's a perverted softie. The baka's so spineless it's a miracle in itself that he can walk upright everyday. Trust me, Kitsune. This was for the best."

**Ring. Ring.**

Naru's cellphone began to ring. Curious, she flipped it open and accepted the call. "Hello?"

Her eyes widened as she recognized the voice on the other end.

"The Swedish king Charles XII was once quoted by Voltaire as saying, 'I have resolved never to start an unjust war but never to end a legitimate one except by destroying my enemies,'" Keitaro's voice said from the other line. "To translate it into something that even you can understand, Narusegawa, 'I don't start shit. I end it.'"

"Keitaro," Naru hissed.

By this time, both Kitsune and Motoko had tried to listen in on the conversation.

"You started this, Narusegawa," Keitaro continued, his voice ice-cold. "You, that drunken bitch and that wannabe kendoka. And I will end it. It can end in two ways: the three of you confess your crimes to Haruka and Hina, and leave Hinata City for good. Or...I sell the Hinata and expose all of you as the bitches you truly are. Make your choice."

**Click.**

The line went dead.

* * *

An apartment, somewhere outside of Kanagawa Prefecture...

Keitaro flipped the cellphone closed, cutting off Naru's retort and placed it on the table. Or, rather, the man who was formerly known as Keitaro Urashima. That life was officially over.

Thanks to Shirai's connections within the Japanese government – the Ministry of Records, to be precise – he had a new life for himself, as Chris Kurata. It was well-worth the 200,000 yen he paid for to get some fresh records done up for him.

Unbeknownst to the Urashima family, as well as the girls of Hinata House, Keitaro had plenty of money stashed away under his alias, in case something like this had happened. Thanks to those excavations Seta had dragged him to, he had helped discovered the ancient Turtle Civilization on Molmol, which had earned him quite the finders' fee – 80 million yen, more than enough to buy the Hinata several times over.

Chris had his concerns in what the Hinata girls were scheming, and had planned accordingly once he was betrayed. He simply sold not only the Hinata, but Haruka's teahouse several days earlier as Keitaro Urashima, and had re-bought it as Chris Kurata for quite a steal.

Suzuhara was especially helpful, especially in managing Chris' finances. The loan officer's knowledge in the stock exchange. Chris' funds had all but multiplied.

With his cash reserves secure, Chris needed allies. Haitani and Shirai were a shoe-in. The next two were his stepsister and the busty Okinawan watermelon fanatic.

After his departure from Hinata City, Chris had contacted Mutsumi by cellphone and had given her the entire story. The following day, Mutsumi had returned to the Hinata, where she tendered her resignation to Haruka and terminated her lease at the dorm, much to Hina's ever-growing dismay. After leaving Kanagawa, Mutsumi had met up with Chris, and had been staying with him since then.

Of course, seeing that Naru was officially out of the race for Chris' affections, Mutsumi decided to make her move. She gave Chris a shoulder to lean on, and surprizingly, Chris had returned the feelings, promise girl be damned. Chris was more attracted to Mutsumi, but he wanted to give Naru a chance. Now that Naru had all but destroyed his love towards her, Mutsumi saw her chance and took it.

The second person was Kanako Urashima, now known as Kanako Kurata. She was the second person to be notified of the Hinata Incident, of her stepbrother's betrayal at the hands of her family and the tenants by Chris and Mutsumi. Kanako blamed herself for not being there for her brother, but Chris did not blame her for what had happened. In fact, Kanako herself had warned Keitaro of his former family's motives.

Kanako's reward for supporting her stepbrother was that she ended up sharing his bed. Mutsumi would be his wife, while Kanako would settle for being his mistress. Surprizingly enough, Mutsumi was open to the idea. Who'd have thought that the busty watermelon fanatic from Okinawa was bisexual?

At the moment, Mutsumi had exited the bedroom. Her hair was not in her usual braid, but rather it fell down her shoulders and back. Aside from the pair of panties, she wore one of Keitaro's dress shirts, two buttons done up in order to keep some sense of modesty. Kanako was inside their bedroom, fast asleep, still naked.

"So what happens now?" Mutsumi asked as she made herself some tea.

Chris grinned. "Easy. We simply watch as the girls and the Urashima clan dig their own graves."

* * *

Two days had passed, and the Hinata was in a state of great tension, as well as depression.

Keitaro was still nowhere to be seen in the city, let alone Kanagawa Prefecture. Naru and Motoko had even confronted Haitani and Shirai at Sagassi, with the intention of beating Keitaro's location out of them. However, the two had pulled out their trump cards: restraining orders. No one from the Hinata House, from its tenants to the Urashima clan themselves were not allowed within 500 feet of both Haitani and Shirai, on threat of being arrested, and their parents/guardians notified.

Faced with the threat of jail time, as well as their families losing face, Naru and Motoko backed down.

* * *

Dinnertime at the Hinata House.

Haruka had managed to get Hina out of her room and down to the dining room. Shinobu was placing the final touches on dinner as the tenants piled into the dining room.

All with the exception of Sara MacDougal.

Noriyasu Seta was notified of the goings on at the Hinata, as well as the Urashima clan's own plans to eject Keitaro. Suffice to say, Seta was furious not only at the abuse that Keitaro had endured while at the Hinata, but at Haruka and her family for trying to eject his favorite worker.

Seta had decided to cut off all ties with Haruka and her family in retaliation. As for Sara, he had promised her mother that he would take care of her shortly before she died. But seeing as how she had not only abused Keitaro, but had went on along with this cold and callous scheme, Seta had relinquished custody of Sara.

Sara was removed from the Hinata, kicking and screaming by two of the local police officers as Hina and the others watched helplessly. The American case worker had announced that Sara would be taken back to America and placed in an orphanage. Hina had offered to adopt Sara, but there was nothing that she could do. This was Seta's final request, and not even Hinata Urashima herself would override it.

It would be the last time anyone would see Sara again.

Of course, Haruka had confronted Seta down at Toudai, wanting to know why he had sent Sara away. Seta's response: "I don't associate myself with people who treat my favorite worker like trash. Get out."

Haruka had figured out that Seta had discovered her family's plan to eject Keitaro out of the clan. She left without further incident. It would be the last time that Haruka would see him again.

As the Urashima matriarch made her appearance, Shinobu had just finished placing the food on the table, just as the other tenants had sat down. However, as Shinobu made her way to her chair, she passed by Motoko's seat, the kendoka seated at the end of the table. However, Shinobu ended up tripping over a pair of chopsticks which had fallen from the table.

Shinobu's head had impacted against the corner of the table with a sickening **CRACK** before landing to the ground, her body twitching for several moments before lying still, eyes rolled into the back of her head.

Hina and Motoko watched in horror while Kitsune and Naru screamed in terror. Haruka, in the meantime, rushed to the phone and called for an ambulance.

* * *

Hinata City General Hospital.

Shinobu was rushed into surgery upon arrival. Haruka had also notified her parents, who had rushed to the hospital. Haruka had kept out the cause of Shinobu's accident, otherwise blame would be passed onto Motoko. Blame that Motoko felt which was rightfully deserved, as they were her pair of chopsticks that had fallen from the table.

The lead surgeon emerged from the operating room, his expression grim. He approached the party from the Hinata and Shinobu's parents.

"How is she?" Shinobu's father asked. "How is my little girl?"

"We did all that we could, Mr. Maehara," the surgeon replied. "I'm sorry, but...your daughter is gone."

At that sentence, Hinata Urashima's world crumbled even further.

* * *

The funeral was held several days later. Shinobu Maehara was laid to rest in a quiet ceremony, attended only by her family, the Urashima elder and Haruka, and the remaining tenants of Hinata House.

As the funeral concluded, Shinobu's parents had left in separate cars. As the Urashimas and the girls approached Haruka's van, they spotted a sedan parked nearby, along with the one person they did not want to see.

Tsukune Suzuhara, and his three armed bodyguards.

Motoko spoke up first. "Have you no shame? Showing up at a funeral? We just buried our best friend!"

Suzuhara sniffed. "Money and time is important to a man of my stature." He turned to Hina. "Your time has run out, Elder Urashima."

"What?" Naru screeched. "You said we had a week!"

"That I did," Szuhara replied, "but in some cases, money is a lot more important than time. The new owner paid up yesterday. I told him that you had until the end of the week...and he doubled the price, as well as ordered all of you to be evicted from the property in..." He paused to look at his watch. "...three hours. The new owner will arrive at that time to take ownership of the Hinata, the annex and the teahouse. Perhaps he will listen to your pleas...but I wouldn't bet my life on that."

That said, Suzuhara took his leave.

* * *

Keitaro Urashima, now Chris Kurata, has just got off the phone with Tsuruko Aoyama. In their conversation, Chris had told her everything that has transpired at the Hinata, from Motoko being a co-conspirator in Naru's scheme to get him removed as kanrinin to even his former family's plans to disown him.

Chris had correctly assumed that despite her 'samurai bravado bullshit,' that Motoko was the weak link, due to her fear of Tsuruko. Once Motoko caved in, then the girls' scheme would all but be exposed for all to see. To make his impending victory even sweeter, not only was Tsuruko and her husband will be there, but Amalla Suu – who was visiting the Momolian Embassy – would also be present for this occasion.

He looked at his watch. Less than three hours left to kill. And it was at least a thirty-minute drive from his apartment to the Hinata. Chris had heard about Shinobu's untimely death from Suzhara. He, along with Kanako and Mutsumi, had silently grieved for the young girl, as she was an innocent victim in this entire mess, having been corrupted by Naru and Kitsune.

A perverted grin spread across his face as he stood up and entered the bedroom, where Mutsumi and Kanako were still in the bed. How ironic was it that Naru and Motoko were right about Keitaro being a pervert. Then again, both Mutsumi and Kanako were just as perverted. And thanks to Chris having Mutsumi's anemia cured, her fainting spells were a thing of the past.

* * *

Hinata House.

The three hours following Shinobu's funeral was spent cleaning out their respective rooms. Haruka, her brother and his wife helped Hinata pack her belongings, as the Urashima matriarch was in no shape to pack her belongings. She just simply sat in a chair, eyes distant and empty.

'Am I being punished?' Hina thought. 'I lost my grandchildren...my home...I only wanted what was best for Keitaro...I thought that by throwing him out of the clan, that he would give up his dream of going to Tokyo University, and learn to stand on his own two feet. Oh, Gods...I am being punished. Keitaro is gone...Kanako is gone...I destroyed my family.'

* * *

At the base of the stairs, Chris Kurata stood with his newly-minted fiancee and his mistress. The former grandson of Hinata Urashima was dressed in a business suit, while Mutsumi and Kanako were dressed in summer dresses, green for Mutsumi and black for Kanako.

Also present were Tsuruko Aoyama, her husband Ryuji Watanabe, and Amalla Suu, who had just been notified of her younger sister's treachery. Amalla had contacted her father, the Emperor of Molmol and had reported to him the events that had transpired at the Hinata which led Keitaro down this path. Emperor Suu's reaction was instant: Kaolla Suu was stripped of her title of Princess of Molmol and was exiled for life from ever returning to Molmol. Amalla was there to deliver judgment once Kaolla confessed to her part in the Incident.

Speaking of Naru, Chris was also in possession of the one key item that would unravel Naru's scheme: her diary. Having arrived at the Hinata while the others were away at Shinobu's funeral, Chris had simply entered the Hinata, walked into Naru's room, and picked up her diary Sure enough, there were several journal entries detailing the plan to eject Keitaro as manager. That was all that Chris needed to proceed.

The only people that were left in the dark were Naru's parents and stepfather, also present. Chris had called them, saying that he had terminated Naru's lease and that all three were to be present to retrieve the scheming redhead. Last, was Tsukune Suzuhara and his S.A.T. escort.

Suzuhara looked at his watch. "It's time," he said, addressing Chris.

Chris nodded and after steeling himself for the trials to come, ascended the stairs, his entourage following behind.

* * *

Hinata Urashima, her family and her tenants were gathered in the common area for the last time. Their rooms had been packed and cleared, the moving men had since come and gone. Kitsune had secured a place in Kabukicho, and was allowing Naru to stay with her. Motoko, on the other hand, would have to return to Kyoko. Suu wasn't looking forward to returning to her home island.

The three hours were up and they were gathered together in order to try and convince the new owner to allow them to stay.

But as with all parties involved, they were in for a serious rude awakening.

The shoji door opened, and Tsukune Suzuhara entered first, along with his armed escort, followed by Tsuruko Aoyama and Ryuji Watanabe. Next was Amalla Suu and Naru's parents and stepfather.

The last three who had entered had shocked the soon-to-be former tenants of the Hinata, as well as the Urashimas themselves.

"Keitaro..." Hina gasped, thinking that Keitaro was going to return to the Hinata as the kanrinin.

She was sadly mistaken.

Motoko saw the look on her elder sister's face, and saw that she and her husband were very unhappy with her. "Aneue...what are you doing here? Why do you look so angry?"

Tsuruko's response was simple. Moving faster than anyone could see, Tsuruko's fist impacted against Motoko's jaw, causing the girl to cry out as she was knocked out of her chair.

Hina was shocked out of her stupor when she saw the elder Aoyama sister cold-cock the younger. "Tsuruko, what is the meaning of this?" she demanded.

Ignoring Hina for the moment, Tsuruko grabbed a handful of Motoko's hakama in one hand and pulled her up so that Motoko's face was merely an inch from Tsuruko's.

"Give me one good reason why I should not cut you into little pieces, Motoko," Tsuruko demanded. "One reason!"

"I...I don't know what you're talking about," Motoko whimpered.

Not pleased with that answer, Tsuruko tossed Motoko across the room, her body bouncing off the wall before falling to a heap as Naru and Kitsune watched, petrified.

Tsuruko drew her sword, as Naru and Kitsune attempted to sneak out. However, Kanako blocked their path. Cracking her knuckles, she pointed to the sofa. Knowing full well that Kanako would not hesitate to show the both of them their spines, the two chief conspirators returned to their seats, resigned to their fates.

Chris looked at the both of them and thought one thing: they're toast.

Motoko, in the meantime, found herself looking down at the business end of Tsuruko's katana. "Motoko Aoyama...you have only one chance. Just one chance, to confess your crimes to Hina and Haruka. If you lie to me..." she pulled out a hiltless tanto and showed it to Motoko. "...then you will commit seppuku for the dishonor you have brought upon yourself, our family and upon our school...and I will not be your second. You will bleed to death where you stand, a slow, painful death."

Faced with a death sentence over her head, Motoko confessed. "It's true. Urashima was innocent of the charges that Naru and Kitsune had brought against him. They both wanted him out of the Hinata and I was more than happy to help. I turned the young ones against him. Kitsune was never pregnant. The papers that showed that she was pregnant were falsified. Naru had Suu create several false documents saying that Kitsune was with child."

Hina was wide-eyed. Keitaro was driven away from his home solely on a lie. A lie that the entire family had believed.

"Naru and Kitsune's plan was simple," Motoko continued. "Elder Hina and Haruka would force Keitaro into marrying Kitsune. Then she would divorce him and demand the Hinata as part of the settlement. Naru would take control of the dorms and Urashima would be thrown out into the streets."

Hina turned towards Naru and Kitsune. "Is this true?" she demanded. "You lied to us?"

Naru's mother shook her head. "Naru...please tell me that this is not true," she pleaded. "Tell me that you didn't do this..."

Before Naru could say anything, Chris pulled out his trump card. He pulled out Naru's diary and placed it on the table, right in front of Hina. For Naru's family, he nodded to Mutsumi, who produced several photocopied pages from Naru's diary, detailing her plans to eject her former kanrinrin, as well as choice pieces of using him for her personal amusement.

Naru's eyes went wide. "You bastard! That's my diary!" she shouted as she lunged towards Chris...

...only to skid to a halt as Suzuhara's escort pulled out their firearms. They didn't point them at Naru, but better safe than sorry. Naru slowly backed up.

Tsuruko turned to Chris. "Kurata-san, I must apologize for the dishonor that my sister has brought upon you, and onto Hinata House. It appears that she has picked up many bad habits from Narusegawa and Konno." She looked at Motoko. "The elders have already been notified of your deeds, including the assaults on your former Kanrinrin. You have no idea what you have done, Motoko! You have attacked an innocent man on a whim!"

Ryuji placed a hand on Tsuruko's shoulder, which had the desired effect of calming her down.

Tsuruko took a deep breath before continuing. "You are no longer important, Motoko. I am reclaiming my birthright. You are hearby stripped of your sword and you will return to Kyoto immediately to face the council for judgment." Turning back to Chris, Tsuruko said, "The Shinmeiryu School will also reimburse you for the damages brought upon the apartments. I will see to it that Motoko will be punished for her crimes."

Chris nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Tsuruko."

After Tsuruko left with her husband and sister, Amalla Suu turned to her sister. "Kaolla, I am very disappointed in you, as is your father. Why would you do such a thing to such a kind man?"

Suu shuffled her feet. "Because Kitsune and Motoko said it would be fun," she whimpered.

Amalla looked at her sister. Then...

**CRACK!**

Suu cried out as her sister backhanded her. "Fun? FUN?" Amalla bellowed. "DO YOU THINK THAT THIS IS A GAME, KAOLLA? YOU DESTROYED A MAN WHO ONLY WANTED TO MAKE HIS DREAMS COME TRUE!"

"I'm...I'm sorry," Suu whispered.

Amalla shook her head. "No...you're not sorry," she snarled. "Father already know what has happened here. You are no longer the heir to the throne of Molmol. As per to Father's orders, you are striped of your title and honors. Furthermore, you are to be sent to a private school in Nagoya, far away from here. Be thankful that he did not disown you outright."

Kaolla sobbed as she followed her sister out of the Hinata, stopping only to offer apologies to Chris and to give him a check with a sizable amount of cash from the Suu royal family.

Hina was not listening. She was instead reading Naru's diary, particularly the last end entries in which Naru had gloated about Keitaro's expulsion. Naru's parents and stepfather were glowing with rage as they read the copied excerpts from her diary.

Seeing as how Hina and Haruka were about ready to kill her, Naru tried to appeal to her parents. "Mom, Dad..."

Her mother cut her off. "Don't, Naru. Just...don't. There is absolutely no excuse for your actions."

Her father was furious. "This is what you've been doing here instead of studying for Toudai? Beating up on your manager, stringing him along for your personal amusement? Sending you to the Hinata was the worst thing we did!"

Naru pointed to Chris. "But he shouldn't have been here to begin with! He should have no right to being here, even if he is the manager!"

**SLAP.**

Naru's head rocked to the side as her mother slapped her. "I...have...had...enough of you," she hissed. "I've had enough of your lies and of your deceit. If you think you will move back in with either myself or your father, then you are sadly mistaken."

"Mama, please, I..."

"Shut up, you lying bitch," her mother snarled. "You are no longer my daughter. I wash my hands clean of you."

Naru looked like she had taken a blow to the gut, while Chris and Kanako were grinning from ear-to-ear. Naru looked to her father and stepfather for any sympathy. There was none, as they both supported her mother's declaration. The former Narusegawa just stood there as her former parents left the Hinata, not before turning to Chris and offering him a settlement for repair bills and missed rent.

"Kanako...take out the trash," Chris calmly ordered.

Kanako grinned evilly. "With pleasure, Chris-kun," she replied before moving in on both Kitsune and Naru. Five seconds later, both girls were sent tumbling over the stairs.

Haruka, thinking that the situation had been defused, breathed out a sigh of relief. "Well, I'm glad that's over with," she said.

"No. It's not over yet," Chris said. Off their confused looks, Chris continued. "Don't look so surprised. Kanako told me everything." He turned to Hina. "You set me up from day one. You purposely sent me to the Hinata, knowing full well that you were housing psychotic, man-hating bitches in an attempt to get me kicked out of the family."

Keitaro's father turned to Kanako. "Kanako...you betrayed your family...after all we have done for you?"

Kanako shook her head. "I didn't betray the family. You betrayed Chris-kun."

Hina blinked. "Chris? That's Keitaro."

Chris shook his head. "Keitaro Urashima died that night when you sided with Kitsune and Naru. No, that's not true. He died when he found out that all of you were planning on betraying him."

"Keitaro, please," his father pleaded. "We only did what we thought was best for you, to try to have you stand on your own two feet."

"And how is disowning me helping me any?" Chris sneered. "When Kanako told me what you three had planned, I needed a fallback plan. Thankfully, those digs that Seta had dragged me to had netted me a lot of cash, more than enough to buy out the Hinata thrice over. So I sold it as Keitaro Urashima...and rebought it as Chris Kurata. Keitaro Urashima is gone. He is gone and is never coming back."

"And you are as of this moment, trespassing on his property," Suzuhara added.

Hina was now on her knees, begging for her livelihood. "Keitaro, please...don't do this to me," she said. "The Hinata has been in the family for many generations. Please..."

"And I am sure that the Kurata family will uphold that tradition," Chris replied, obviously not moved by Hina's pleas. "Get out."

To Hinata Urashima and her family, it would be the last time they would see Chris Kurata ever again.

* * *

Nine years had passed since that explosive confrontation inside the Hinata.

Motoko was brought back to the Shinmeiryu to face the council over her crimes. With the overwhelming evidence against her, Motoko had plead guilty. As a result, she was stripped of her sword – what was left of it, anyway – disowned from the clan, and sentenced to live out the rest of her life as a monk. Failure to comply or even showing her fact at the doorstep of the Shinmeiryu will result in Motoko committing seppuku. Motoko had no other choice but to accept the terms of her plea.

In the years following her exile, Motoko was the caretaker of a small Shinto temple in Hokkaido. Until one day, she would travel by foot to Kyoto and commit suicide inside the Shinmeiryu Dojo, in full view of Tsuruko and Ryuji. Motoko's final gesture did little to move her former sister, who had her buried in a graveyard reserved for the unclean and the burakumin.

Naru and Kitsune moved into an apartment in Kabukicho. There, Kitsune found a job working as a hostess at one of the red light district's many bars, while Naru attended Toudai. However, Naru's university career came to an abrupt end when she had shattered the jaw of a student she thought was Keitaro. As a result, she was expelled and blacklisted, forbidden to ever attend any university in the country.

By that time, she was quite infamous in the district, as well as throughout Tokyo as the 'psycho bitch with the right hook.' Not even Kentaro Sakata wanted nothing to do with her.

As Kitsune drank more, she found another crutch – men. Many a morning, did Kitsune find herself in bed with a different man. How ironic that Keitaro had called her a 'drunken, blackmailing whore,' only to find out that his words rang true. Kitsune Konno was a defeated woman.

"You can just see when a girl has been fucked in the ass," one of her one-night stands had said after having his fun with the former fox of Hinata. "It's not something about the way she walks. No. It's something in her eyes that tells you she admitted defeat once and that she'll do it again."

Sure enough, Kitsune did end up getting pregnant, not know who the father of her child was. After her baby was born, Kitsune gave it up for adoption, and went right back to what she was doing, forgetting about her bastard child.

Eight years after the Hinata Incident, Kitsune would be later found by Naru the following morning, along with the man she had snagged at the bar. Assuming that he had killed her best friend, Naru had attacked him savagely, beating him within an inch of his life. The man was sent to the hospital, while Naru was arrested for assault. Much to Naru's horror, the man did not kill Kitsune, as she had originally thought. Kitsune had simply choked on her vomit during sex.

This was revealed to Naru after she was charged with murder, upon finding out that the man she assaulted had died of his injuries.

Charges were filed, and after a high-profile case, Naru was found guilty. She would be later sentenced to fifty years at Tochigi Womens' Prison. During a massive prison riot, Naru would be killed by a rival inmate. She was buried in a grave which contained only her prison number in the prison graveyard, alone and forgotten.

Kaolla Suu was heartbroken to hear about the fates of her friends/former roommates. Deciding that Japan had too many bad memories for her, Suu moved from Japan to America, settling in Hawaii, where she lived as an exile for the remainder of her life.

Sara MacDougal was never heard from again.

In the nine years following the removal of the Urashima from the Hinata, the Urashima clan had fallen from grace, once their plans regarding Keitaro became known. Even worse, Keitaro's mother had filed for divorce from her whipped husband, after it became known that she had cheated on him throughout their marriage. The Urashimas was forced to sell their sweets shop to pay for the divorce settlement.

Haruka found work inside a teashop, while her brother worked inside a candy factory. Hinata Urashima was placed inside a seniors' retirement home, as the shock from losing her home and her plans backfiring on her were too great to bear.

Nine years later, Hinata found herself dying from terminal cancer. In a final attempt to reach out to her estranged family, she sent a letter to him at the Hinata. Several days later, Hinata received a reply. It was one sentence, consisting of four words.

**You gave me nothing.**

The following day, Hinata Urashima died. She was buried in the Urashima family plot in Hinata City, her funeral only attended by Haruka and her brother. Haruka left for parts unknown, while he brother worked to keep his home.

As for Chris, Mutsumi and Kanako...

A year after the Hinata Incident in where Chris seized control of the Hinata, Chris had married Mutsumi in a private ceremony. Kanako tagged along for the honeymoon in Hokkaido.

The Hinata Girls' Dormitory was closed down and Chris reopened it as the Hinata House Bed and Breakfast, while the Hinata Annex was purged and opened as a unisex dormitory. Chris and Mutsumi ran the Hinata, while Kanako operated the teahouse, whenever he was not working with Seta on his excavations. Seta, on the other hand, had met and married a rising manga artist by the name of Cailyn Hiroyuki.

Haitani and Shirai were the first full-time tenants to the dorm, as were Seta and Cailyn. Under the Kuratas, The Hinata Bed and Breakfast became one of the town's popular destinations.

Haitani and Shirai were shocked – as well as upset – that Chris had both a wife and a mistress, but quickly got over it. After all, it did provide them with nieces and nephews to spoil. Both Chris and Mutsumi graduated from Toudai – Chris majoring in archaeologist while Mutsumi majored in management.

Kanako would run the Hinata Teahouse in a way that not even Haruka herself could match. Money would be no problem for the Kurata clan for years to come.

As for Chris Kurata, formerly Keitaro Urashima, he finally put his past behind him and with his friends and family supporting him, was finally able to look forward to a prosperous and peaceful future.


End file.
